MMPR Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom
by J Raine
Summary: When a time shift alters the past and history is rewritten Rangers from several generations are caught up in the conflict as Earth becomes the battle ground for the ultimate battle between good and evil. MMPRtoPRTF&PRNS. Check profile for release schedule
1. Chapter 1

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-1-

"Captain Logan," Alex called.

"What is it?" he asked coming to Alex's monitoring station.

"I'm tracking a temporal rift. It appears to be some residual effect of the time holes."

"And the rift's status?"

"So far it's stable but…"

Alex was interrupted as the alarms began to sound; the instrument panels reading a massive surge of quantum energy projecting into the past.

"What's happening?" the Captain demanded.

"It's not good," Jen replied. "Something just tore open the rift, the discharge has moved into the past, somewhere in the late nineteen hundreds!"

"Sir," Alex shouted trying to be heard over the alarms. "The surge has done something to alter history; the timeline is being rewritten rapidly. We have less than a minute until the resulting quantum shift overruns Time Force."

"Can we send Wes and Eric?" Logan asked.

"No sir, the ripple has already affected their era, they're gone sir." Jen replied.

"Gather the Rangers and prepare to send the time ship through." he replied.

"There's no time," Alex replied calmly already punching in some commands. "The shift is less than thirty seconds out. Trip and Circuit are currently on the Time Shadow helping with repairs. I'm launching it now!"

Alex punched in the final command. The ignition system sprang to life as the computer received the calculations for its temporal leap. Trip and the few members of the maintenance team were frantically getting strapped in, caught off guard by this sudden activation of the engines. He wasn't even sure what was going on. There was a quick transmission.

"Trip," Jen began. "There's been a time shift, the data has been uploaded to the Time Shadow, you have to fix it or we won't have a future."

As the transmission cut out the Zord swung its massive arm connecting with the force field on the aft of the craft transferring all its energy to the Time Shadow sending it rocketing down the platform. The gate opened a split second before the ship reached it. The craft vanished in a brilliant flash of light; the remnants of Time Force did not even have a moment to contemplate the situation as the shift hit their location washing over their existence, like darkness consuming the light.

Rita looked out over the Earth from her Fortress on the moon. For the past few months since her escape she had been thwarted repeatedly by Zordon's group of armatures, which made her defeat all the more painful. She would never admit failure though, and continued to blame her subordinates for the failures. Finster and his useless creations were the biggest problem as she saw it. His recent attempt to create the Dark Warrior and steal research from Trini's Uncle had ended as miserably as all his other attempts. They needed a new approach. Something that would unbalance their accursed teamwork and give her forces a much needed edge. As she looked through her telescope to observe the wretched teenagers she noticed an ominous red light drifting in space. Like a crimson Aurora Borealis this phenomenon seemed to be drawing closer to the moon. Though she did not know what it was, it left her with a feeling of terror.

"Finster!" she shouted.

"Yes my Queen?" came the reply as the pale creature came to where she stood.

"What is that?" Rita demanded.

"I do not know my Queen." Finster replied adjusting his spectacles. "I do not believe I have seen anything like this before."

Not content Rita looked to another of her minions. "Goldar!"

"Yes my Queen?" his tone much more gruff and resentful.

"What is that?"

"I don't know my Queen."

"Somebody find out what that is!" her tone furious at the lack of information. "I'm surrounded by idiots!"

Rita would not have long to wonder as the anomaly had drifted above her fortress. The air suddenly seemed cold, the energy was pulling inward, condensing, but rather than becoming brighter, the center seemed to grow darker, a deep blood red. Then with a scream like that of thousands of tortured souls a blood red gate appeared, the faces of countless beings from as many worlds twisted and pushed against this manifestation as if trying to escape. Then from the center, a place so dark even Goldar felt as if his soul was being torn from him as he looked upon it, three figures emerged.

On the left was a woman, her hair was blood red, streaked with a dark violet, her eyes an icy tomb. Her armor was comprised of black soft armor which covered her body like a wet suit and silver plate armor strapped on where they would not restrict movement. A silver band was around her forehead. On the right appeared to be a man, dressed in a black robe with no discernable features. His skin was a light blue and his hair was more akin to the quills of Earth's porcupines, yet small arcs of lighting seemed to flow between the quills at random. Leading these two imposing individuals was a large manlike being, twisted black onyx armor covering all vital areas glowed with the same blood red light as the gate; faces, contorted in pain seemed to swirl within the plates. What was left uncovered was tough muscular flesh as if he had no skin. He wore a helmet enclosing his head completely save for a slit at eye level. His eyes blazed with a flame that made those who looked on him lose all strength.

"Zedd…" was all Goldar could manage.

Lord Zedd stepped forward, no word was spoken. Squat and Baboo sank back, hoping Zedd had not noticed them. Goldar bowed his knee, Finster also bowed. Rita was filled with terror; she had seen Lord Zedd before, but never like this. When she had been imprisoned Zedd was powerful, but now he seemed almost omnipotent. She noticed that he no longer had his staff, but some form of enormous sword. The twin blades, joined at the hilt like a naganata, were the deepest black as if she was looking into an abyss, the hilt ornate with fangs and claws like some fierce beast.

"My Lord," Rita began, but she was cut off by Zedd.

"Goldar," his voice was deep and ominous like thunder.

"Yes my Lord," Goldar replied.

"Kill her."

Goldar wasted no time coming to his feet and drawing his sword. Rita, realizing her fate was decided turned to run, but Goldar was already upon her and in one swift swipe he separated her head from her body. Her body collapsed on the floor, the head rolling across the floor stopping at the wall. Her blood poured from her neck leaving a dark red pool. His task complete Goldar knelt again. Zedd looked to Squat and Baboo.

"Dispose of her body," he said, then turning toward Goldar he said, "Lokar, reward his loyalty."

The man in black stepped forward and placed his hand on Goldar's shoulder. Goldar could feel pain in his back, but he endured it giving no sign of his discomfort. Two bone spikes punched through the back of his armor, they extended and stretched upward. When it seemed they had finished growing, new fingers began to grow from the tips as muscle and sinew began to form. The bone began to form the shape of giant wings. As the tissue began to form so did the skin, a leathery covering like some giant bat. Goldar brought his wings down and pulled them tightly against his back, yet as he did they began to tuck into his flesh disappearing within his body. He could still feel them though they were no longer visible. Armor formed over the wing tips which still slightly protruded protecting them.

"Thank you my Lord," Goldar said.

"Serve me well and you will be rewarded. Fail me," Zedd looked to Rita, "And you will die."

Squat and Baboo wasted no more time, taking Rita's body and head the two departed happy to be sent out of Zedd's presence alive. Zedd turned his attention to Finster.

"Go and retrieve the Green Power Coin, and the Sword of Darkness." Zedd commanded, and motioned to the woman. "Astronema, go with him. Lokar revive Scorpina."

The two departed the room. Goldar wondered how Zedd even knew about the Green Power Coin, more importantly who was Zedd planning on giving the power to? Though these questions were on his mind Goldar would never venture to ask. He had already seen the results of those who were not in Zedd's favor and he was certain that Zedd's will was never to be questioned.

Joshua Raine was unpacking the contents of the last of his boxes. He was a young man in his late teens, standing just over six foot; he had short dark blonde hair complimented by his hazel eyes. He was wearing black shirt with blue jeans. His family had been in Asia for the last ten years, mostly in Japan, though he did spend some time in China also. He was happy to be back in the states, not that he knew much about daily life here other than what he saw on television while he was away. Thinking about it he realized he hadn't been on American soil since First Grade when his Dad got the opportunity of a lifetime to assist in some huge engineering projects. It had been a rough decade, but now his Dad was able to retire and spend more time with his boys. Joshua and his younger brother Alex had spent much of their time over seas training in Martial Arts. Both had studied Tai Kwan Do, but with Joshua's passion for the Martial Arts and his strict sense of discipline he had gone on to study Tai Chi as well as Ninjitsu. Alex had gone a different direction and picked up Judo, but had preferred to study the language and culture more than Joshua had, though Joshua still learned a great deal listening to Alex talk during dinner about all the things he had discovered that day.

It was going to be interesting to go to school next week, jumping in after several weeks of the fall semester would have seemed challenging normally, but with the Japanese school system having pushed him so hard it was likely that this year would be an easy one. Still it would be a good chance to make some new friends this year so hopefully there would be more to do than stay at home next summer. Not that home would be a bad place to be since his Father retired and they were able to get a nice place in the country. While it would be a change not being in the city, Joshua actually preferred the quiet of the country and the trees and grass to all the concrete and tall buildings.

"Hey Joshua," his Mom's voice called.

"Yeah?"

"When you finish up there we're having Lemonade on the back porch."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Joshua pulled out the last item, a Championship Trophy from the World Shidokan Marital Arts Tournament. This was the greatest award to date that he had won, and one that was hard fought too. He hoped that this would allow him to compete in the Pan Global Games this time instead of having to wait until college. His Dad said he could go as long as his school work didn't suffer, but he still had to find some sponsors and make the cut.

His thoughts were interrupted by his Mother's scream. In a flash he was out of his room and running for the back porch. When he arrived his brother and father were fighting with these strange creatures, like golems made of granite, but each one had a 'Z' that appeared chiseled into the chest. His father was holding one at bay with a shovel, his brother was attacking another with a series of kicks, but it seemed to be doing little to the creature. Several more were closing in on his family. He saw his Mom was lying on the ground bleeding, she wasn't moving. Josh wasted no time jumping into the fray.

He lunged at the closest creature throwing several kicks, but the stone seemed unaffected by his efforts. The creature brought one of its arms back to punch, but as it did Joshua saw that the fist mutated into a jagged sword. As the creature thrust forward Joshua ducked under his attack and spun throwing his elbow into the creature's chest. When he did something unexpected happened, the rock cracked, an orange light like magma shone through the cracks. Joshua evaded as the creature attacked again and threw a hard kick directly into the 'Z'. The creature reeled backward as its body began to break apart, magma leaking from the cracks. It collapsed into a pile of burning rubble and molten rock.

"They seem to have a weak spot, center of the chest on the 'Z'." Joshua relayed.

"That's a dumb place to put it." Alex retorted as he threw one of the stone monsters to the ground and delivered an axe kick to the chest. Joshua was wishing that he had taken the time to learn Judo.

"Watch out, they have lava for blood." Josh warned; Alex jumped back. Magma sprayed up through the cracks as the creature dissolved into rubble. Joshua finally had a moment to look around, his Mom still hadn't moved, his Dad was still holding his own against one of the creatures and there were two more closing on him and one coming at his brother.

Joshua didn't have time to waste, his Mom could be in critical condition if not dead already, but he knew if this took much longer it would make little difference. He launched himself at the advancing creatures, throwing a spinning crescent kick into the chest of the first shattering it, using his momentum he placed one foot on the creature's shoulder and pushed off. The creature had thrown a punch, but using his reflexes Josh had kicked the arm, redirecting it enough to evade and land in front of it. Taking advantage of the creature being off balance Joshua launched a barrage of punches at the chest ignoring the sting as his flesh tore as he continued to assault the same spot. The stone cracked after the first hit, several more and the creature collapsed, tiny bits of magma hit Joshua's hands and arms, but beyond the pain it wasn't serious. With a quick look around Joshua could see Alex had dispatched his opponent and his father had jammed the shovel through the chest of his attacker. Alex was already at his mother's side.

"Is she alive?" Joshua asked running over.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "But we need to get her to a Hospital."

"I'll call 911." their father replied.

As he turned to go, he caught sight of a large being standing on the porch, towering over two meters tall. Lord Zedd was standing in front of the doorway, his massive sword drawn; he had been watching the whole thing. Joshua turned to look as he noticed his father had stopped and saw Zedd. Before anyone could move Zedd ran forward and slashed through their father, the blade cutting through him with violent power, the force of the attack causing his body to explode, the blood vaporized. Joshua and Alex were mortified and charged in enraged. Alex went in low to attempt to throw him off balance as Joshua attacked high to aide him. Zedd however made a single sweep with his sword; the ground was torn open as a hurricane force wind caught the two of them. Alex was thrown into a tree, his skeleton shattering. Joshua took less of the force as Zedd demonstrated his control; however he still flew back and landed on the patio table shattering the glass and plunging to the ground in a mess of blood and broken glass. Zedd walked over to Joshua's mother and ran his sword through her body into the ground causing a crater and explosion of flesh and bone. Joshua struggled to move but his body was too weak from the impact. Zedd sheathed his sword on his back and pulled out another, a curved blade, the Sword of Darkness. He also took out a small gold coin. He approached Joshua.

"Just kill me," Joshua said spitting blood on Zedd's armor.

"I'm not going to kill you," Zedd mused as he wet his hand with Joshua's blood and wiped it on the sword and coin. "You belong to me now."

In Angel Grove Park Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly sat around a picnic table enjoying each other's company and the cool fall air. The last few months had been completely life changing for the teens. When Zordon had first recruited them to fight Rita they were already friends, but these past few months seemed to strengthen that bond as they had come to rely and depend on one another to deal with the difficult situations they faced in protecting their world. Despite the dangers each of them considered it a privilege to be entrusted with the power and responsibility they had been given.

As the teens talked about their most recent battle against the Dark Warrior Jason noticed that Trini looked lost in thought.

"You okay Trini?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Trini said coming out of her daze. "I was just thinking about things,"

"Like what?" Billy inquired.

"I'm just concerned about Rita's more recent attacks is all," Trini said.

Jason already knew what she meant; the same thing had been on his mind as well.

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.

"It's just that more and more she seems to be dragging in people around us and our families as well. I'm just concerned about the people I care about is all." She replied.

"We can't let things like that stop us though," Jason said. "I've been noticing that as well, but if we focus on what Rita could do to us it will only drown us in worry."

"That's true," Billy said. "We might not have weighed the full measure of our choice when we made it, I know I've had new things to consider each time Rita's attacked, but as long as we're together I think we can handle it."

"Yeah," Kimberly chimed in, "We're all in this together, if Rita's messes with one of us she messes with all of us," Kimberly smiled giving Trini a nudge.

Trini smiled, "You're right," she admitted. "I guess I just let myself dwell on it to long."

The others smiled, seeing their friend feeling better. Trini felt reassured, maybe they had been given a heavy task, but as long as they were together she was sure they could pull through anything.

"Besides, Jace has got that Martial Arts Expo in a few weeks, and he could use a little more help training." Zack said patting Jason on the shoulder.

"That's right," Jason said, "You think you could help me training my mind for the Expo, Trini?"

"I think we could work on that later," Trini said with a smile.

"Oh, Kimberly, do you think you can help me with my invention later this week?" Billy asked suddenly remembering his own projects.

"I guess," Kimberly said with a shrug. "It's not going to switch our brains like the last one is it?"

"Not at all," Billy said with a smile.

"What are you working on anyway?" Trini asked.

"Yeah?" Zack said, "You've been working on that thing for a couple weeks now, what's it do?"

"I'll let you know after I've had a chance to test it." Billy replied.

"Oh come on…" Zack began.

The communicator beeped. Jason covered his wrist looking around at his friends. The five of them scanned the park looking for anyone in earshot. Not seeing anyone Jason activated his communicator.

"Go ahead Zordon."

"Ranger, my worst fears have been realized, report to the…" the communicator suddenly cut out.

Jason tried again. "Zordon?"

Billy gave it a try. "Zordon, Alpha, come in."

"What do you think happened?" Trini asked.

"I don't know," Jason said. "I think we should get to the Command Center."

"Yeah, I don't like this." Kimberly said.

The group activated their teleportation beacons, but nothing happened. They looked around puzzled.

"This is bad," Jason said. "Zack, Kim, Trini, wait here incase something happens. Billy, come with me, looks like we have a long trip ahead of us."

"Be careful guys." Trini said as the two jogged off.

Green Ranger stood before Zedd and his other minions. His helmet removed, his face was expressionless. Blood from his earlier battle with the Zedd had dried on his face. Most disturbing were his eyes which had faded to white. His humanity was clearly removed from him along with his free will.

"Why didn't you destroy the Command Center completely as well?" Goldar demanded. "You only disabled their communication and teleportation. It will only be a matter of hours before they restore those. Even without Zordon and Alpha they will still be able to oppose us."

"Your ignorance is astounding." Joshua replied.

"You arrogant worm," Goldar growled, gripping his throat.

Joshua smiled, which made him look even more sinister. "Do you honestly think Lord Zedd could not finish the Rangers in one swift blow? It is not for my Lord to grant such mercy to those who would stand against him." Goldar's hand was still on his throat. "I have been given this task for no other reason than to make them suffer before they are destroyed. I am toying with them just as I am toying with you." Joshua grabbed Goldar's wrist wrenching his neck free and spun his body landing a kick in the unarmored portion of his face.

Goldar staggered back, managing to stop himself short of hitting the wall. "Time to learn your place," Goldar snarled unfurling his wings.

Joshua rocked his head one way then the other popping his neck. His helmet vanished from the table into a streak of green light that flew to his head restoring his helmet. He held out his hand and motioned for Goldar to attack. Zedd was most interested in this fight as Goldar sprung forward, sword out, bloodlust in his eyes. If Goldar won it could mean the end of the Green Ranger, no matter, he had already served his purpose. However, Zedd was confident in his choice and knew Goldar would not prevail. As Goldar charged Green Ranger flung a fireball from his hands straight into Goldar, though not strong enough to knock him back it did blind him for a moment as Joshua made his move. He dropped low and as Goldar passed over him he stabbed his Dragon Dagger into his armor tearing it down his right side of his chest. Goldar crashed into the floor and flung himself to his feet with his wings. A huge gash was running down his armor, blood trickling onto the floor. Joshua didn't wait for Goldar to strike again, he charged in. Goldar swung his sword in a sweep as Joshua approached, but Joshua ducked under it releasing a two fold kick, the first blow knocked his sword from his hand the next hit his chest with such force that his chest plate collapsed and he flew back into the wall cracking the stone. Goldar fell forward onto his knee struggling to breath.

"That's enough." Zedd said.

"Yes my Lord." Joshua replied standing down. He returned his dagger to its sheath.

"As for you Goldar," Zedd began. "Know that I gave this task to Green Ranger and I will not have my decisions questioned. Finster, get him fixed up."

"Yes my Lord," Finster replied.

Finster started to help Goldar up, but Goldar pushed him off and staggered to his feet. Finster followed him out of the room making sure to keep his distance. The Green Ranger was certainly powerful. Finster had never seen anyone defeat Goldar so effortlessly. As they left Zedd turned to the Green Ranger.

"Go to Angel Grove and keep an eye on the other Rangers, confront them if you wish, but do not reveal your identity or your powers yet."

"Yes my Lord." He replied as he teleported out.

Jason and Billy forced open the doors to the Command Center. It had been a long run and they both were soaked in sweat, muscles burning. As they entered they were surprised to find the power still on and the lights on, the consoles all intact. Then Billy noticed Zordon's Time Stasis Chamber. The chamber had been completely destroyed. Crystal fragments covered the floor, though most of them were scattered in the chamber. The bottom of the chamber had multiple puncture marks as if something powerful had pierced it, a few frayed wires hung out the holes implying that equipment had been ripped out of the chamber. Billy wasn't sure if he would ever be able to fix it.

"Who could have done this?" Billy asked.

"Can you fix it Billy?" Jason asked avoiding the real question.

"There's no way, I just can't." Billy said feeling overwhelmed. "And even if I did I don't know if Zordon is somewhere out there or if…" Billy stopped unable to face that possibility. "I'm going to check the computer, maybe there's some information that can tell us what happened."

"Okay," Jason replied. "I'm going to try and find Alpha."

Jason walked around the main room looking for any sign of Alpha; then he saw the black puddle on the floor. He approached with dread hoping that he wasn't seeing what he thought he was. He knelt down by the puddle and placed his hand out, it was solid. He could see the scorch marks on the floor around the hardened mass. Jason didn't know what to do.

"Billy," he said his voice shaky. "I think I found Alpha… or what's left of him"

"I know," Billy said quietly. "It's all here in the log, a Ranger entered the Command Center, disabled Alpha, and destroyed Zordon's Chamber, I can't find anything else regarding Zordon's status."

"What do you mean a Ranger?" Jason asked, bitterness rising in his voice.

"I only have audio, but Zordon references a Green Ranger, says something about being controlled by Rita, it's hard to make out over the other sound."

"What other sound?"

"I think it's Alpha, there is some kind of high pitched electronic noise."

"Like a scream," Jason said under his breath. Billy didn't seem to hear him. Jason sighed, not sure what to do. They had always had Zordon, and now they were faced with something terrible and no way to gain outside guidance. Jason knew they needed to sort this out as soon as possible. "Billy, get communications and the teleporter back online."

"That's strange," Billy said.

"What?"

"The communication and teleportation systems aren't damaged. They've just been shut down."

"Call the others," Jason said, "And then see if the database has anything on this Green Ranger."

"Affirmative," Billy said happy to have work to distract him from the grim reality they were facing.

Zack, Trini, and Kimberly were walking back to Ernie's Gym and Juice Bar. They had waited at the park for a while, but the silence had made it hard to not think the worse, they needed a distraction, this whole thing could be nothing, but until they heard from Jason and Billy they had no way to know.

As they walked along none of them noticed the dark figure standing in the alley by the Juice Bar. Joshua had demorphed; his black shirt and blue jeans once stained by his blood had been restored. His eyes were a deep, sinister, forest green. As the three Rangers passed by Joshua stepped out to follow them, his footfalls making no sound as he crept up on the teens. He closed to within a few feet; he was close enough to touch them. He could kill them now and reduce their number. Certainly his master would not mind if he took one right now. His hand reached out toward Kimberly, yet even as he did two other teens rounded the corner coming toward them. One was a large guy with a leather jacket and cap. The other was smaller and thin, with a black jacket and red beret.

"Hey," the big one shouted. Josh's hand drew back stealthily taking Kimberly's wallet from her backpack, the Ranger's stopped. "What do you think you're doing?"

The other Rangers stopped and turned to see what Bulk was looking at. Josh stood there for a moment pretending to be shocked.

"Uh, you dropped this," Josh replied holding out Kimberly's wallet.

"Oh my gosh, thank you," Kimberly replied accepting the wallet from him. Kimberly looked into his eyes, the deep green caught her attention; she had never seen eyes like his. He was cute too, but something about him just didn't feel right.

"Don't go getting any ideas there loser," the other guy said. "That's my girl you're talking to." He said sliding up next to Kimberly and putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Eww, Skull get off me," she said pushing him away.

"So when are we going to go out again?" Skull asked as if nothing had happened.

"Again?" Kimberly asked wearing a look of shock. "We've never gone out and we never will."

"Hey," Bulk protested stepping in.

"Maybe you should just leave her alone." Josh replied stepping between the two guys and Kimberly.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Bulk said pushing him back.

Josh restrained himself; if he fought back it might make the Ranger's suspicious. Joshua stepped forward again looking Bulk straight in the eyes. As he did Bulk felt a chill run down his spine, something about this guy made him very uncomfortable. Despite his fear Bulk smiled.

"I've got better things to do than waste my time with you." Bulk said brushing past Josh.

"Yeah, better things to do," Skull echoed as he followed Bulk. "I'll call you later cutie," he said to Kimberly.

Kimberly pointed a finger down her throat gesturing like she was going to vomit. The two guys left the others there. Josh noted which way they left.

"I didn't catch your name," Zack said extending his hand, "I'm Zack.

"Josh," he replied shaking his hand.

"This is Kimberly and Trini," Zack said pointing to his friends.

"Nice to meet you," Josh replied.

Kimberly and Trini nodded.

"Do you want to come and hang out with us for a little while?" Trini asked.

"I'd like to," Josh replied glancing at Kimberly, "But I have something important I need to take care of."

"Well maybe we'll see you around later." Zack said.

"I'm sure you will," Josh replied.

Zack felt a chill run down his spine as he replied, but ignored it. "Cool, well see'ya later then."

"Bye," Kimberly said, "And thanks again."

"No problem," Josh replied as he turned and left.

"He was kinda cute," Trini said nudging Kimberly.

"Yeah," Kimberly said, "But something about him just didn't seem real, it was weird. I dunno maybe I'm just stressed about the current situation."

"Maybe," Zack replied thinking about his own uneasiness.

As Josh left the Rangers behind he began to walk faster in the direction Bulk and Skull had left. As soon as he was out of the Ranger's sight he began to run catching up with the two. Despite being in the suburbs of Angel Grove it was still fairly crowded. Josh fell back a short distance and continued to follow the two teens; after a while the two slipped through a chain link fence and down into an empty canal. Josh saw his chance and closed in. As soon as they had reached the bottom of the canal Josh leapt from the top hitting the two from behind. Bulk and Skull were thrown to the ground. Skull hit his head which rendered him unconscious. Bulk rolled over, the pain adding to his rage.

"You're dea…" he stopped as he saw Joshua. "Hey, it's cool man, I didn't know it was you."

Josh didn't acknowledge his words but grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Look I'm sorry, I won't bother you again." Bulk choked out in a panic.

"You're right," Joshua said smiling, his eyes fading to white for a moment. "You won't…"

"Hey guys, where are Jason and Billy?" Ernie asked as the teens sat down at the bar.

"They had a little errand to run." Zack replied. "Can we get three fruit smoothies?"

"Coming right up," Ernie said walking back toward the back room.

As Ernie left the room Zack's communicator beeped. Zack placed his hand over the wrist band.

"Hey Ernie?" he called.

"Yeah?" Ernie called back.

"I just remembered we have something to do, but we'll be back later."

"Okay guys," Ernie replied emerging from the back.

The teens filed out of the Juice Bar and into the hallway, after a quick look around Zack answered.

"This is Zack."

"You guys need to get to the Command Center now," Jason replied. "It's pretty bad."

"What's going on?" Kimberly asked.

"You're going to have to come here to see it," Billy said.

"We're on our way." Zack said.

The three Rangers looked around and the teleported out of the hallway.

As the three Rangers materialized in the Command Center they were filled with horror at the sight of Zordon's destroyed Stasis Tube.

"Billy, Jace, what happened? Where's Zordon and Alpha?" Zack asked.

"They're gone," Jason replied. "Show'em Billy."

Billy hit a few buttons on the console. "Well when we first got here I only had an audio feed of what happened, but the video wasn't missing it was scrambled. I've had the computer working on it while I rebooted the teleporter. It's not perfect but, well, see for yourselves." Billy cued up the section of video.

"Alpha, contact the Rangers." Zordon said.

"Right away Zordon." Alpha replied activating the com. After a moment of silence Jason answered.

"Go ahead Zordon." He said.

Yet even as Jason was speaking they could see a Ranger in green, a gold shield over his chest and shoulders, emerging from a dark corner of the Command Center though neither Zordon or Alpha seemed to noticed.

"Ranger, my worst fears have been realized, report to the…" Zordon started, but at that moment the Green Ranger darted forward knocking Alpha back and hit a switch cutting the transmission.

Alpha began to issue a command to the computer but before he could utter more than a word Green Ranger unsheathed his dagger and plunged it through the robot's head. With a sudden spark Alpha five fell to the ground.

Kimberly gasped.

"Alpha!" Zordon called out.

Alpha attempted to take hold of the Green Ranger's leg, but the Ranger grabbed the back of his neck and flung him off to the side of the main chamber. There was a sudden discharge from Green Ranger's hand, a stream of green flame that burst forth and went in the direction of Alpha's body. Alpha was out of view but the fire could still be faintly heard roaring until it was covered by a horrible high pitched electronic sound. With his first task complete the Ranger shut down the teleportation system.

"Green Ranger you must stop, you must fight Rita's control she has you under a spell."

"Rita is dead," he replied. "I serve Lord Zedd ruler of the universe."

"So he has already arrived, things are graver than I thought. Green Ranger you must set your will against Zedd's, do not allow him to control you, I can help you."

"Silence!" Green Ranger shouted. "Time to get rid of you."

Green Ranger pressed a few buttons on the control panel scrambling the coordinates of the sensor array tied to Zordon's dimensional prison. As Zordon faded out, his final words lost in static, Joshua plunged his dagger into the panel, and proceeded to the Stasis Tube. He leapt into the air landing a brutal kick against the surface. The force cracked the tube all around like lightning. Then as the tube collapsed inward he began to punch through the base of the chamber ripping components from within it. With several in hand he tossed them off in the direction of the fire, the high pitched noise was subsiding now. Green Ranger looked around one last time and then teleported out.

Billy ended the playback. The room was silent for a moment as the others struggled to cope with the horror that they had just witnessed.

"That's what we discovered." Billy said solemnly.

"I don't believe this," Kimberly said tears forming.

"The sensor logs indicated that Zedd, who is apparently Rita's superior, has been conquering the Universe very quickly in the past few years." Billy said. "It was obvious that while he knew that a Green Ranger potentially existed he had no idea that Zedd had already arrived or that a Green Ranger was chosen."

"But it doesn't really matter now." Jason said. "We know there is a Green Ranger, that he's being controlled, and that we're no longer dealing with Rita, but someone who's a lot worse."

"Is Zordon dead?" Trini asked.

"I doubt it," Billy said. "Green Ranger scrambled the tracking signal that linked Zordon to our dimension, like changing the tuning on a radio, he's likely still in the same place, but without the equipment I can't get him back, even if the chamber was working I don't have his dimensional coordinates, it could take years to find him again."

"And Alpha?" Kimberly asked.

Jason shook his head, "Green Ranger completed destroyed him,"

"Man!" Zack shouted in frustration. "Do we have a chance against Zedd? I mean if he can come into the Command Center and take all this away whenever he chooses?"

"According to the sensor logs his level of power is great." Billy replied. "Much greater than Rita's, but only the Green Ranger can enter because he has a Power Coin."

"Exactly," Jason said. "So right now we need to defeat this Green Ranger. We can worry about Zedd later. We take out the Green Ranger we take away Zedd's access to the Command Center."

"But why did he leave everything intact, why didn't he disable the Zords?" Zack asked.

"He's playing with us," Trini said. "He's trying to create fear. He wants us to feel vulnerable."

"Then I say we go find him and break Zedd's hold on him." Zack said. "I don't want to wait around here for him to make the next move."

"I agree," Jason said. "But it's getting late and we don't even know where to start." He sighed, the current situation weighing heavy on his mind. "I think it would be best if we locked down the Command Center and go home and give ourselves time to refocus. The last thing I want to do is go after this guy without being focused."

"I think that would be very beneficial," Billy said. "I know I could use some time to collect my thoughts."

"I guess," Kimberly replied wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Zack sighed.

"How are we going to protect the Command Center though?" Trini asked.

"Simple," Billy replied going to work at the console. "I'll just set the computers to detect movement and then put a containment field around anyone without a communicator. As you know all our communicators have a locator installed, so if it isn't one of us then the system will know."

"Good idea Billy," Jason said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now try to get some rest Rangers, tomorrow after class we're going after this guy."

The five teens looked around at each other, this day had hit them all hard, in a single blow they had lost the security of having Zordon and the Command Center, but they still had one another, they could still recover from this attack. With a brief word of acknowledgement to Jason the teens teleported out of the Command Center leaving it empty.

Kimberly walked through the door of her house, the day's events a blur in her mind. Without a word she walked down the hall and into her bedroom setting her backpack down by the door and collapsing on her bed, her gaze directed to the ceiling. She had come to expect hardship in being a Ranger, but today they had lost Zordon, it was his wisdom that they had all come to rely on against evil, now without him they were lost, struggling to piece together this puzzle. Even if they knew who this Green Ranger was how could they locate him? She hoped Billy would still be able to use the computers to provide some help.

As she was thinking her younger brother David came into the doorway. He was a few years younger than her having just started Junior High last fall. He had taken their parent's divorce harder than Kimberly, yet he still remained very optimistic, primarily because of his sister's outlook on life, but he would never admit how much he looked up to her.

"Hey Kim, dinner's ready."

"Okay," Kimberly said sitting up on her bed, "I'll be there in a minute."

David departed and headed back down the hall. As Kimberly watched him go she knew she had to be strong, she would have to be to keep her family safe.

Jason was sitting in the living room on the couch with his math book on the table trying to do his homework. No matter how hard he tried though he couldn't shake the images he had seen today and the decisions that now were on his shoulders. With Zordon gone he was the sole leader of the Power Rangers, yet without Zordon's guidance he questioned his own ideas. As he was lost in thought his father walked into the room and sat down next to him on the couch.

"You doing alright son?" his Dad asked. "You hardly said a word at dinner."

"I've got a lot on my mind," Jason said sitting back with a sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just that I'm in charge of this thing my friends and I have going right now and I'm worried about making a bad choice."

Jason's father smiled. "Son, part of being a leader means knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the people you're working with and allowing the team to work from its strength. I'm sure if you focus on the strengths of your friends you'll make the best choice. Just remember though nobody's perfect, but when you make a mistake it's important to acknowledge it and work together to correct it. I'm sure your friends will stand by you no matter what happens."

Jason smiled, "Thanks Dad, I guess I just needed to get things in perspective,"

Jason's Dad gave him a pat on the shoulder as he rose from the couch. "Just remember that we're always proud of you as long as you try."

Jason nodded in response and tried to get back to his homework. He knew they had to go after this Green Ranger tomorrow, get Billy on the computers, split the rest of them into teams, they'd find him, he was certain.

Zedd stood on the Balcony of his fortress looking out over his armies that were gathering on the moon preparing for invasion. He knew that he could take Earth this moment with the forces that had gathered, but it was not time yet, the seeds of fear must be sown, the moral of the planet destroyed or it would take years to break the spirit of the people and subjugate the world; nothing united people more than oppression. First he needed to defeat the Power Rangers, Earth's champions, then with the courage of the people waning he would strike fast and hard breaking their power, then it was only a matter of finding corrupt humans, those who would willingly oppress their own race if it would give them power, to govern the planet and herald in his new order. Zordon may have been eliminated, but things were still progressing too slowly. He summoned the Green Ranger.

As Green Ranger came to the balcony Zedd spoke to him.

"The time has come Green Ranger to reveal yourself to the Rangers. Engage them in battle, but do not reveal your full strength to them yet, gauge their strength, discover their weaknesses, soon you will move to destroy them."

"As you command my Lord." Green Ranger replied teleporting off the balcony.

Zedd turned from the balcony passing by Goldar and Scorpina who were standing guard down the hall. As he passed he sensed the eagerness of both to join in battle, their bloodlust delighted him, it was always good to have warriors who hungered for battle above everything.

The bell rang ending the school day. The teens rose from Ms. Appleby's class gathering their notebooks and papers and placing them into their backpacks, each of them focusing on the task that lay ahead. The day had been rather bland without Bulk and Skull present to interrupt class, not that their condescending attitudes were missed. Kimberly had thought it odd that they would both be out today, they both seemed fine yesterday. Though it was always possible they had both simply decided not come to school.

The five teens walked out of school and headed in the direction of the park. As they neared the park and fewer people were around Jason began to speak.

"Here's the plan guys, Billy you need to get to the Command Center and find a way to track this guy, if he was in the Command Center there must be something the computer discovered that will allow us to find him."

"I don't have a complete data set, but the computer did record a fragment of his interspatial bio-vibrations, I could try and use that." Billy replied.

"His what?" Zack asked.

"Each object in the universe has a unique biological signature, a type of body harmonic that can be used to find that person."

"Like a musical note?" Trini asked.

"Exactly Trini. The only problem is that with only a partial sample there is no way to be certain that we can track only the Green Ranger, even if I limit the search to our own planet and moon there could be other people or objects that share the same partial frequency as him."

"That's better than nothing though," Jason said. "The rest of us can investigate the signals,"

"Can I make a suggestion?" a voice from behind interrupted.

Startled the Rangers turned around to see a young man in black standing behind them. Zack and the girls recognized him from the other day.

"Josh?" Zack asked in shock. "How long have you been there?"

"Wait," Jason interrupted, "You're Joshua Raine."

Josh smiled.

"Have you met before?" Billy asked.

"We met him yesterday," Kimberly replied.

"We've never met," Jason replied still in shock. "But this guy is a martial arts master, he won the Shidokan World Championship last year."

"So you're the best in the world at martial arts?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm the best out of those who competed for the title," Joshua replied. "But I wanted to get back to helping you with your problem."

The teens fell silent, not knowing how much he knew, or had heard.

"I know where you can find this Green Ranger guy, I can lead you right to him."

Jason felt a deep uneasiness as he spoke, something felt very wrong about this situation.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal," Jason said wanting to change the subject.

"You sure?" Josh said smiling. "I think you should come with me and meet him."

"You're him aren't you?" Billy said.

"I was trying to make it obvious," Josh replied his eyes fading to white.

The teens recoiled at the sight. Even as they stepped back they all fell into fighting stances prepared to attack.

"Not here," Josh replied, his eyes reverting to green. "No sense drawing any unnecessary attention."

Joshua turned his back to the Rangers and began to walk into the park. The other Rangers stayed where they were not sure whether to follow him or not. After a few steps Josh paused realizing they were not coming along.

"Coming?" he asked. "It would be unfortunate if I had to find someone else to… play with."

"I think he's serious," Zack said.

"I know he is," Jason replied. "I guess we don't have a choice."

The Rangers began to follow behind him as he resumed his heading.

"And don't worry," he began. "I won't attack you until you're ready. I wouldn't want you at less than your best."

"Why are you doing this?" Jason asked as they walked along through the park, the Rangers staying a few steps behind Josh.

"Because my Lord has commanded that I destroy you." Josh replied his voice void of emotion.

"You don't have to serve Zedd," Kimberly started.

"Lord Zedd," Josh replied harshly his eyes flashing.

"We can help free you, please," Kimberly finished.

"If I were you I'd give serious thought to joining me," Joshua replied. "Those who oppose Lord Zedd perish."

"I'd rather die fighting Lord Zedd than bow down to him." Jason replied, the hostility in his voice apparent.

"Either way, by your choice or my hand you will be laid at his feet."

The conversation ended and the six of them continued to walk in silence, the Rangers, each contemplating the situation at hand and how to deal with this new threat. Jason had seen this guy fight before, he knew he was good, not to mention he was familiar with several forms of martial arts. Jason knew that even with the five of them this was going to be a difficult fight. The question that concerned Jason the most was why did he appear without being morphed? It certainly enhanced his natural abilities just as it did theirs, so why would he meet them as equals? Was it possible that some part of the real person was still left under all Zedd had done to control him? Was it possible that he was not completely subverted?

Jason was out of time to think as the Rangers came into a clearing amidst the trees deep in the park. Joshua turned to face them assuming his own fighting stance. Trini recognized the stance from Tai Chi, his left hand extended straight forward, his palm turned sideways, the other arm curled above his head his palm facing down. As he waited the right arm swept down as he brought the other hand inward in a swirling motion and returned to his starting stance. The whole appearance of his motions was like water.

"Whenever you're ready." Joshua said his eyes fading to white once more.

The Rangers assumed their fighting stances.

"Be careful," Jason said, "This guy's really good."

The Rangers charged at Joshua in unison, Josh stood his ground. As they approached Jason launched a tornado kick which Josh ducked under as he threw a kick into Jason's other leg knocking him off balance and sending him to the ground. Planting his hands on the ground Josh twirled his body and splitting his legs launched kicks into Zack and Kimberly before spinning back to his feet to punch Billy in the chest. Trini threw a punch as Billy fell away, but Josh grabbed her arm and threw her past him. He stepped back as the Rangers were lying on the ground.

"Maybe you should morph?" Josh suggested unimpressed by their abilities.

Jason leapt to his feet insulted at the implication. Without a word he rushed in and threw a series of punches and kicks which Josh proceeded to block. As Jason threw another punch Josh grabbed his arm and twisted it then, hitting a pressure point in the elbow, sent Jason down on his knees.

"You really should morph," Josh said, his vacant eyes starring into Jason's. "This is pretty pathetic." With that Josh pushed Jason over.

"Why are you doing this?" Kimberly protested, "Are you still in there somewhere? Can you even hear us?"

Josh smiled. "I can hear you just fine,"

"Don't do this Josh," Jason said. "We can help you. You don't have to do this."

"Morph," Josh demanded coldly, "Morph, or I will."

Jason rose to his feet, the others rose with him, Jason looked at each of his friends, they didn't seem to have much of a choice. They were no match for him this way and it seemed he was determined to escalate this fight, yet something didn't seem right, despite his superiority he still held back.

"Alright," Jason said as the teens reached behind their backs to grab their morphers. "It's morphin' time."

As the teens each called on the power of their ancient spirit energy surged forth from the morphers, their bodies blazed in a multicolored display, streaks of energy like comets flew from the morphers and impacted against their bodies forming plates armoring them in seconds. Finally the morphers dissolved into energy and impacted on the belts. The glow of power subsided as if drawn into the gold emblem of their respective power coins which were centered on their chests.

"Now this should be more interesting," Josh said as he rushed Jason.

Jason signaled the other Rangers to stay back for the moment. Josh leapt into the air attempting to land a kick against Jason's head. Jason grabbed his foot and pushed him back, Josh managed to recover though and flipped off Jason's hand landing on his feet. Josh signaled Jason to attack, reluctantly Jason charged in punching several times. Josh was having a harder time dodging Jason's enhanced speed, as he weaved side to side Josh caught one of his arms and redirected Jason's attack. Jason was shocked that he was able to do so. Josh felt the force against his arms, the power of Jason's attack nearly cracking his bones. The whole exchange threw them both off balance and Jason's last punch connected with Josh's chin sending him flying to the ground. Josh landed on the ground his jaw in tremendous pain, but nothing seemed to be broken. As he jumped to his feet he spit the blood from his mouth.

"This is more like it." Josh said reaching for his own morpher. Even as he did so he had second thoughts and put it away. "No, I don't need it yet." He said starring at Jason.

Shaking his body out Josh resumed his original fighting stance. Jason could not believe what he was seeing, an unaided human was actually holding out against his Ranger powers. Jason had to know if this guy was really this good. The other four Rangers stood by shocked that after that punch he was even still conscious, and not only that, but wanting to continue the fight. Jason charged in throwing another punch at his mid section, but even as he did Josh side stepped and grabbed his arm, and with a fluid motion threw Jason into the ground. As he landed Josh landed a drop punch to the emblem on Jason's chest. There was a thunderous boom as the emblem cracked, the flesh on Josh's hand was ripped apart and his blood flowed running onto Jason's armor. Jason felt the impact; the tightness in his chest like someone had just dropped a rock on it. He struggled to breath. The other Rangers were aghast.

"Jace!" Zack shouted. The Black Ranger charged in throwing a kick at Josh. Josh rolled out of the way and put some distance between them. The other Rangers ran to Jason's side.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Jason managed to wheeze out as he started to catch his breath again.

"What did he do to you?" Billy asked.

"I don't know," Jason replied. "It sure hurt though."

Trini looked up, but noticed that Josh was gone. "You guys, he's gone."

The others looked around, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

"We should get back to the Command Center." Jason said sitting up. The others nodded and activated their teleportation beacons, in a streak of light the Rangers vanished from the park.

Green Ranger stood on the fortress balcony looking out toward the Earth. He had returned to his morphed state, the power of his Dragon Shield regenerating the damage he had done to his own body during his brief fight with the Rangers. Despite his outward appearance he was tormented inwardly. Yet there seemed no way to break the hold that was placed over him, forced to watch through his eyes as some other force carried out its sinister will using his body. He was a prisoner, his mind still functioning but being unable to control a single aspect of his existence, it was pushing him to a breaking point, he wanted to scream, but couldn't even manage that. He feared he would descend into insanity, maybe he already was. Never before had he felt so helpless, or more alone. There had to be something he could do to defeat this evil that held him, but what? He had fought against this power that held him until he had become mentally exhausted, his very spirit felt weak. Yet for all his trouble he seemed no closer to freedom. He knew the Rangers were trying to help him, but he had no way to reach them, and the more he struggled the more he seemed to be subverted as his own strength was diminishing. His thoughts were interrupted as his body began to move, what horrors was he off to commit now?

The Rangers stood in the Command Center, they had demorphed and were searching the computers for any information on Joshua Raine. His appearance had caught them all off guard and in a single fight he had demonstrated a level of prowess that surpassed all of them put together. Each of them was worried for the first time that they really had no hope of winning this fight. Jason was aware of this and was trying to think of some way to motivate the others. He knew if Green Ranger could defeat them inwardly then they were as good as lost.

"We need to pull it together Rangers," Jason said. "This guy needs our help and we're the only one's who can do anything to help him."

"I know Jason," Billy said, "But he was fighting you in your morphed state and was winning."

"You can't reach that conclusion," Trini said, "He got in one lucky shot, you know logically you can't conclude that Jason would have lost."

"You're right," Billy said. "This whole thing has really just got me worried."

"I think it has us all scared," Kimberly said. "But remember we're all in this together, and as long as we're together there's always hope."

"You're right," Trini said. "Even if he can't express it Josh is still counting on us."

"The world is counting on us," Jason said. "We can't give up as long as we have the smallest chance of victory we have to try."

"Yeah," Zack said punching his hand in determination. "We just need another shot at this guy."

The alarm began to sound. Billy punched up the visual feed. "Looks like we're not going to have to wait," he said.

The group turned to see a holographic projection of a Zord, dragon like in appearance. The form swiftly moved around the buildings ripping parts from them as if without purpose. Its tail carving up buildings, green plasma projected from the mouth and wrists.

"What is that?" Trini asked.

"Probably Green Ranger's Zord," Billy replied, "but, I don't have any significant data on it." He searched through the computer looking for anything useful, but the files containing data appeared to be locked. This seemed strange to Billy, but he couldn't concern himself with it now.

"We need to go now," Jason said, "before that thing destroys any more of the city. I know it's exactly what he wants, but we have no choice."

"We're going to try and free him aren't we?" Kimberly asked.

"We're going to do our best," Jason said, "Alright guys, it's morphin time!"

The five called on the power and transformed into their enhanced armored forms and teleported. A moment later they rematerialized on a building in the industrial district by the harbor. They wasted no time in calling on their Zords. Green Ranger saw their arrival and stopped in his random destruction and waited. He knew he could take the Zords out one at a time, but then they might escape with a few intact. He needed to wait until they formed the Mega Zord, then he could get them all.

With the Zords arriving, the Rangers teleported into cockpits, taking hold of the controls the Rangers prepared to engage. Kimberly was the first to charge in launching a volley of missiles at Dragon Zord, but Dragon Zord fired a stream of plasma from its mouth torching all the missiles causing them to explode in mid flight. Zack fired a blast from his zero-point cannon, but Dragon Zord moved and the blast hit a building reducing part of it to dust.

"Watch it Zack," Jason said, "We can't use weapons like that in the city."

"Sorry Jace," Zack replied.

Sabertooth Tiger fired its tail laser and Triceratops lauched a volley from its cannons. Jason already knew he would dodge, and carefully watched his direction, as the Dragon Zord moved left Jason fired his lasers toward Dragon Zord's destination. The blast struck the chest plate, but was refracted by the mirror like polish. The Dragon Zord's mouth glowed green for a moment and then with a pulse released a stream of plasma, the blast struck Tyrannosaurus and send the Zord cashing back into a building demolishing it. Jason brought the Zord to its feet. Realizing that fighting this way was futile Jason issued the order to form Mega Zord.

The Zords began to transform assembling in tank mode. This is what Josh had been waiting for. As they all were drawn up into the main cockpit the Rangers opened fire on the waiting Dragon Zord. Dragon Zord leapt forward as they attacked, the Ranger's fire hitting nothing but sky. Dragon Zord landed on the tank and began to tear into the Tyrannosaur's head. Jason knew they had to get him off and change modes.

"Give him another blast!" Jason shouted.

Pterodactyl, Tyrannosaurus, and Mastodon all fired again, but hit nothing as Dragon Zord vanished upward in streaks of green light. He reappeared behind them. The Rangers wasted no time in converting Mega Zord to battle mode, but as the actuators brought the Zord to its feet Dragon Zord launched a barrage of plasma. The superheated star fire slammed into the back of Mega Zord melting through two layers or armor and heating the surface to a glowing red. The Mega Zord stumbled as Pterodactyl completed docking.

"Temperature rising!" Billy shouted.

"Alright," Jason tried to gather his wits, "Power Sword, Mammoth Shield, now!"

With a bright flash of lighting from the sky the sword materialized in Mega Zord's hand, along with the Mammoth Shield. Dragon Zord launched another volley of Plasma, Mega Zord blocked with the shield and fired a blast from the shoulder cannons, but Dragon Zord dove sideways and evaded the shot. From the ground Dragon Zord sprung into the air and fired off its claw tips like missiles. With shots closing fast Mega Zord swung the right shoulder back and evaded some of the missiles however, the others hit the left arm. The armor penetrating tips pierced through all the armored layers and delivered their payload to Mega Zord's biomech muscle bundles. The left arm fell limp.

"Jason," Zack started. "The left arm is useless. He destroyed the upper arm's BMBs."

Dragon Zord did not relent in his attack, but leapt at the Mega Zord again. Jason fired the cranial laser cannon, yet Dragon Zord managed to change its angle in the air and the laser merely grazed the right torso doing minimal damage. Jason reacted quickly and swung the Power Sword. This seemed to catch Dragon Zord off guard and tore a gash down the Zord's left torso. Without even a second of rest Dragon Zord whipped its tail around and knocked Mega Zord off its feet. With unrelenting furry Dragon Zord pounced on the downed Zord and began clawing the chest plate. Mega Zord brought a foot up under Dragon Zord and kicked him. Dragon Zord flew back toward a large cargo ship. Flipping in the air it managed to land on all fours on the side of the hull, which rocked back from the impact, the steel tearing around the impact points. Then it pushed off the ship launching itself back at the Mega Zord, which had just managed to jump back to its feet. Dragon Zord hit Mega Zord, and with an earth shaking crash both Zords plowed into the ground. Mega Zord tried to bring the Power Sword around to stab Dragon Zord, but it could not move fast enough. Dragon Zord seized the Zord's hand, then grabbing the shoulder also, bit into the forearm, and tore through it. The hand fell limp and the sword dropped crashing to the ground, the impact an omen of defeat. Dragon Zord grabbed the head with both clawed hands and began to crush it.

"Jason!" Billy shouted, "We have to eject, the head is about to implode!"

Reluctantly Jason activated the ejection system. The Rangers launched from their Zord just as the Mega Zord's head collapsed. As they landed they turned to see the Dragon Zord plunge its claws into the helpless machine's chest ripping biomech muscle bundles and actuators from the chest, orange cooling fluid sprayed out bathing the Dragon Zord. The tailed sliced across the Triceratops and Sabretooth Tiger cutting in deep and rendering them useless. With its job done, Dragon Zord leapt back and launched another barrage of plasma at the downed Zord setting it ablaze.

The Rangers could only stand awe struck as they watched their Zords burn. Suddenly, above them, several F-15s streaked over launching a wave of missiles. Joshua detected the incoming attack, but his job was done, these vermin were below him, they would all bow to his master soon enough. Before the missiles even reached him Dragon Zord teleported in a streaked burst of green light and was gone. The missiles impacted in the bay exploding underwater with no effect.

"We have to get the fire out." Jason said.

"I agree," Billy replied. "But the damage control system isn't responding to remote commands."

"Then someone will have to go in and manually activate it." Jason said.

"Are you nuts man?" Zack said. "Look at that thing! It's burning white hot."

"I'm not going to sit by and do nothing." Jason said. He started running toward the Zord.

"Jason!" Kimberly screamed after him, but it was too late, he wasn't coming back. The others ran after him.

Jason could feel the heat coming off the Zord as he raced toward it. Hopefully the armor would protect him long enough to find the manual controls. Then a thought occurred to him, what if Dragon Zord had ripped them out? They were in the central body, but there was no time to worry about that, if there was even a chance he had to try. They would be defenseless without the Zords and that was all he needed to know. As he reached the Zord he jumped up and into the cavity in the chest. The fire was intense as he fell in, though once among the burning wreckage he was relieved to discover that the white hot metal was only on the surface where the plasma was still burning. He switched his visor mode over to structural analysis. That cleared up the mess a little. He scanned around the area keeping an eye on his rising temperature. Then he saw it, the emergency system. It was buried behind a burning slab of armor. Without thought Jason ran over and grabbed the armor piece and flung it aside ignoring the burning in his hands. There were three valves that had to be turned. Jason began, twisting each one, the suit warning him that the armor on the hands was failing.

Outside the others were standing by not knowing what to do. Jason had jumped into the Zord, but they couldn't reach him now on the communicator, they didn't know if he was dead or something was blocking their transmissions. Without warning the Mega Zord erupted, fire spreading.

"That was the core system!" Billy shouted. "We have to get back the Mega Zord is about to go critical!"

"What about Jace?" Zack asked.

"There's nothing we can do now!" Billy replied.

Reluctantly the four of them began to run. As they sprinted, their enhanced speed carrying them across the land faster than any living thing, they could hear the eruption of the system. They dove to the ground, but there was no blast wave. They looked up to see the fire dying out, a thick mist coming off the Mega Zord's remains. They quickly got to their feet and began to run back to the Zord.

"Jason?" Kimberly called out.

A figure appeared in the mist, staggering forward. The Rangers ran to him.

"Jason." Kimberly said relieved.

They reached Jason, who collapsed into their arms, his body demorphed. Billy checked his vitals.

"He's okay," Billy said, "he's just unconscious. We should probably get him back to the Command Center."

The Rangers and the Zords teleported out, the brilliant multi-colored display streaked the sky. For a moment the on lookers forgot that they had just seen the Power Rangers defeated.

From the Fortress Balcony Zedd stretched his arms out calling for Cyclopsis from its burial below the Earth. It had been obvious to him that Goldar would need a greater power if he was to be of any use to him. He could think of nothing better than to resurrect his War Zord entombed beneath the Earth for millennia. The one weakness was the Zord's power source which absorbed the arcane power from beings like him; however, he was certain this could be overcome through the efforts of Astronema's technology and Lokar's dark magic. Zedd focused his own dark energies reaching into the void summoning the Zord. Rather than raise the Zord from the Earth Zedd summoned it directly to his Fortress. The tower shook as the massive rift brought the Zord into the Great Hall that Astronema was already converting into a hanger. He had nearly everything for his plan it was time to make his will known.

Jason regained consciousness several hours later. He was lying on a medical table in the Command Center. Kimberly was sitting next to him, as was Zack. As he opened his eyes they both smiled.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Jason struggled with his words. He tried to sit up.

"Whoa, hang on." Zack said. "Just rest a minute, your body and powers were under a lot of stress in that fire. Your body is still going to need a little time to recover."

Jason reluctantly laid down. He hated feeling helpless. "So what's the status of the Zords?"

"They're heavily damaged," Billy said entering with a data pad in hand. "It's going to take a few weeks before they're even able to function again. A few months to get them back to full strength at best."

Jason let out a sigh.

"Don't let it get to you Jace," Zack said. "If it weren't for you we wouldn't have the Zords anymore."

"And the industrial district would be gone too." Kimberly added.

"That's true," Billy said, "The core almost went critical, and that could have killed thousands of people."

"I know," Jason sighed. He was worried that they would never be able to defeat this Green Ranger, and even if they did, what chance would they have against Lord Zedd. He had to believe though, his team, his friends couldn't afford to have him fail them now. "So have we found out anything else about this guy that can help us?"

"Not much," Billy said, "While I was running scans I did discovered a news report about his family in Florida, they were murdered, though there were no signs of what killed them several areas on the lawn were scorched."

"Sounds like a Putty attack." Jason replied.

"Exactly," Billy replied, "the one member of the family that could not be found, but is presumed dead is Joshua Raine."

"We have to help him," Kimberly said suddenly filled with indignation. "It's not fair that Zedd killed his family just to make him a slave."

"How are we going to do that?" Zack said. "This guys has had us out classed since the beginning, he's been watching us the whole time and has been several steps ahead, we don't stand a chance."

"We can't give up," Jason said. "Come on Zack, I need you with me on this."

Zack sighed, "I'll try Jace, but this is more serious than anything we've ever faced."

The room fell silent for a moment as each of them meditated on what had happened and the battle they knew was coming. Rita's monsters had been tough, but not one of them would be disappointed to go back and face any of them now. They needed to come together as a team and save Joshua no matter what. Trini walked into the room, her face pale.

"Trini what is it?" Jason asked sitting up.

"Lord Zedd is sending us a message."

The Rangers looked at each other and filed out into the main chamber. As they gathered around the projector Billy opened the channel. An image formed, Zedd standing in his full armor, eyes blazing, slightly behind him to the right stood the Green Ranger, arms crossed, helmet removed starring at them with his vacant eyes. It sent chills down their spines.

"I am Lord Zedd, Supreme Ruler of the Universe."

The Rangers usual retorts were stifled by the shear terror these two produced as they stood together. The fear seeping into them like poison, it could not have been any worse had they actually been in the same room.

"I already know you will not surrender to me, nor do I care, I do not need you as slaves, but I want you as trophies. Therefore you will meet my Green Ranger on the top of the volcano east of your pathetic Command Center immediately, or I will send Green Ranger to destroy your city and all that you love."

Zedd cut the transmission and left the Rangers to grapple with the inevitable fate that awaited them all.

"Master," Green Ranger began, "What good are the Rangers as trophies?"

"You are young and inexperienced Green Ranger." Zedd replied. "You have defeated the Rangers once already for the world to see. You have already proven your superiority; to now display their broken bodies for the world, defeated by a single warrior, will cause the populace to become demoralized making it easier for my forces to conquer the planet."

"I understand. You are very wise Master."

"Yes, but you must go now and take Goldar and the Putties to make sure th-"

Zedd was cut off by an explosion that shook the fortress.

"What is going on?" Zedd demanded.

"It's the Machine Empire!" Goldar roared. "We are under attack!"

Zedd looked out to see waves of Quadra Fighters approaching as the enormous warships hovered over them, with more jumping out of hyperspace.

"I will destroy them my Lord." Joshua said.

"No," Zedd replied, "You deal with the Rangers. We can not afford to give them more time to recover. When you finish with them, return and join me in battle."

Zedd leapt from the balcony swinging his sword in huge arcs, the massive energy discharge ripping several fighters apart. Goldar had already reached Cyclopsis and was engaging the fighters and walkers. Even Astronema's Velocifighters were beginning to scramble to meet the new threat. Joshua complied with his Master and teleported out.

The Rangers stood around solemnly, the task before them was difficult and their chance for success was small. Jason looked around at his friends. He could see the fear in their eyes.

"I know this looks bad," he began, "but I think if Zordon were still here he would want us to fight. We have overcome everything that has tried to take our planet and even though we seem to be in a tight spot now we can win if we work together as a team. We weren't selected to defend the world without a good reason. If Zordon believed in us we should believe in ourselves. We can't give in to our fears, if we do then we might as well go home now, and I'm not ready to do that, are you?"

"No!" they replied.

Jason placed his hand in the center. "Then let's take this guy." The others placed there hands on top of Jason's. "May the power protect us," They all nodded. "Alright guys, it's Morphin Time!"

Green Ranger stood on the edge of the volcano. He looked down into the crater at the magma bubbling. It was unfortunate Zedd needed them intact as trophies. This volcano would have made a good place to dispose of them. His thoughts were interrupted as the Rangers teleported in. Joshua leapt back from the edge landing in an open area. Without a word they spread out and surrounded him, drawing their weapons, which manifested in streaks of colored light. Kimberly drew her bow back. There was an eerie calm, time seemed to pause as Joshua gazed at the Rangers he could see and using the visor reflections to watch to ones he couldn't. He held the Sword of Darkness in one hand, the Dragon Dagger in the other. The Machine Empire's untimely attack may have changed things a little, but he still had his Dragon Zord if he needed any help.

Kimberly let her arrow fly straight at his chest. As she did Jason and Zack both charged. Billy and Trini followed after them. Kimberly charged as soon as the arrow was in flight. Josh deflected the arrow with his sword and blocked Zack with his dagger. Jason flew in with his sword. Josh managed to side step slightly but still was grazed on his left arm. Jason had drawn first blood. Josh rotated and threw a back kick into Jason's stomach which sent him back. Bringing his leg forward he jumped and thrust his knee into Zack's chin. As Zack fell away Josh launched a spinning crescent kick and hit both Trini and Billy. He quickly dropped and did a forward sweep to Kimberly; as she fell, arcing over him, he punched her just below the ribs knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground unable to move for a moment. He had gone easy on this first attack, he hadn't even used his weapons offensively, but they had drawn blood, and it was only fair that he return the favor.

Green Ranger flew at Jason, who was just returning to his feet. He brought down his sword, but Jason blocked with his own. Josh flipped the dagger in his hand and plunged it into his helmet. Jason managed to partially block with his arm, but the dagger still penetrated coming less than an inch from his face. Jason pushed him back. Josh saw Zack's reflection in Jason's cracked visor and turned just in time to block his attack. Zack was caught off guard by his reaction time and Joshua managed to slash his dagger across his chest. As Zack relaxed the force on his axe, Joshua pushed him back and delivered a round house to the side of his head cracking the helmet. Jason hadn't given up and as Zack fell Josh saw him coming. Josh launched another round house as Jason swung his sword. Joshua pushed off with his other foot, spun over the sword and hit Jason in the head with his heel. The other side of Jason's helmet shattered from the force, and Jason could feel the strain on his neck, there was something unnatural about his attacks. He fell to the ground. Joshua turned his attention to Billy and Trini who had just gotten back to their feet. Joshua lunged at them slashing with his blades. They blocked most of the attacks getting away with minor scratches. Josh swung at Billy who blocked both attacks with his lance, but that was what Josh had hoped for and he launched a front kick into his chest, his attack cracking the gold emblem of the Triceratops, launching him back. Trini attacked with her daggers, the first getting through his defenses, only to be stopped by his Golden Dragon Shield. He parried the second attack and delivered an axe kick to the top of her head slamming it into the ground. Suddenly an arrow grazed his helmet, the pink blaze causing him to lose sight of his opponents for a moment. That was a stupid mistake, he had forgotten about her. Josh rushed her, Kimberly drew back another arrow and fired, but Joshua slid under it and kicked her above the knee. Kimberly collapsed as her leg broke. As she fell Joshua spun and hit her with a kick to the face, cracking her visor. He was done with this one. He began to slash furiously at her with both blades slicing into her armor and grazing her flesh. Blood began to flow from her wounds ever so slightly. Kimberly screamed as each cut stung her body. Jason raced in to stop him, but Joshua dodged out of the way seeing that the others were also coming. He jumped back a distance and waited. The Rangers all converged on Kimberly.

"Kimberly, are you okay?" Jason asked.

"I think my leg is broken," Kimberly panted through the pain. She gripped her leg; blood was trickling from the gashes and holes in the armor, her visor cracked.

Jason wasn't looking much better; his helmet was smashed and cracked everywhere. He reached back removed it and cast it aside.

"Jason what are you doing?!" Billy exclaimed.

"It's no good," Jason replied. "It's so damaged I can't see a thing with it on."

"We need a plan," Zack said.

"Trini, are you still okay?" Jason asked.

"I'm still able to fight," she replied though her helmet was covered in spider web cracks.

Jason could tell everyone was ready to break, they needed a plan or they were all going to die on this volcano and the Earth would be defenseless. "Okay, here's… here's the plan," He struggled to breath. "We're only going to get one more chance…" Jason looked toward the Green Ranger, he was waiting patiently in fighting form; his Dragon Dagger raised over his head, the Sword of Darkness pointed straight at them. There was a break in his armor, even a little blood running down his arm, but compared to them he was still in good shape. "We're going to rush him. All of us at once."

"What?!" the others asked in shock.

"He's been keeping us down to one or two at a time," Jason started. "Kimberly will provide support with her bow from here the rest of us will rush him and try to force him over the edge of the volcano."

"We can't kill him!" Kimberly protested. "He's being controlled by Zedd!"

"I know," Jason said his face grim. "But if we don't stop him now none of us are going to make it, and with Zordon and Alpha gone the Earth will be lost."

"I concur," Billy said. "I don't like the idea of taking a life, but given the alternative it doesn't seem we have a choice."

"Okay," Kimberly agreed, her voice soft as she choked back the tears, trying to be brave enough to do what she had to.

Jason looked at his friends worried that this would be the last time they were ever together, he tried to put it out of his mind and look confident. "Alright guys, let's do it!"

Kimberly pulled back an arrow as her friends charged toward the Green Ranger. Joshua did not move as the group charged him. As the Rangers approached within feet of the Green Ranger Kimberly fired through an opening hoping to throw him off balance. In a fluid movement Joshua deflected the arrow with his sword and jumped into the air executing a flip, as he descended behind them, still inverted, he plunged his dagger and sword into the backs of Trini and Zack. The blades sunk in piercing their spines, using his momentum the Green Ranger threw their lifeless bodies aside as he tucked into a roll. No longer able to stay morphed their bodies crashed onto the rocks, their mangled forms giving no doubt that they were dead. Joshua side stepped keeping Jason and Billy, and Kimberly in his view.

"ZACK, TRINI!" Kimberly screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Jason glared at the Green Ranger, his face twisted with bitter anger. "You killed them!"

The Green Ranger paused, the liquid metal armor around one side of his mouth curled up into a subtle smile. Without thinking Jason and Billy rushed in. Billy went low and Jason went high, with no other option Joshua jumped back, landing in fighting position, near the volcano's edge. Jason and Billy again charged forward though more cautiously, this time they both went in high. Joshua bent backwards as Jason's sword and Billy's lance passed over his chest and head. Jason began to sweep his leg, but Joshua had already brought his dagger around and plunged it into Jason's shoulder. With a hand hold established Joshua kicked his legs up and grabbed Jason's neck throwing him down and snapping his neck with a loud crack. Kimberly unable to see much more than three colored blobs through her tears gathered her strength and fired at the Green blob as Jason hit the ground. The arrow caught Joshua off guard, hitting him between his armor and shield, having his feet around Jason's neck set him off balance. Billy, seizing this rare moment launched a round house kick knocking the Sword of Darkness from Joshua's hand and sent it flying into the volcano. Billy moved in with his lances trying to strike the throat but Joshua had regained his balance and deflected them with his dagger. Joshua pinned Billy's lances down and kicked him, causing the lances to be lost as he staggered back. Joshua stood up and kicked the lances away and began to walk toward Billy. However, at that moment the Sword of Darkness cracked having landed in the magma of the volcano. A column of dark energy rose to the sky as the sword was destroyed. Joshua stopped, his will restored, his mind flashing with all the memories, trying to process what he had done.

As the shell of evil that had enclosed him was destroyed his true self reemerged from within. Screaming in torment he ripped his helmet off and threw it away, tears streaming down his face, his eyes regaining their color. Kimberly and Billy watched in shock and disbelief. Joshua fell to his knees sobbing uncontrollably, his gaze directed at the ground.

Billy, realizing Zedd's hold had been broken rushed to Kimberly to attend to her injuries. "I'm going to try and reset your leg." Billy said.

"What about Jason?" Kimberly asked apprehensively.

"I'm sorry," Billy choked out "He's gone."

"No," Kimberly sobbed as Billy set her leg. Kimberly hardly noticed the pain of her leg through the pain in her heart. Her friends were dead, he had killed them. Overwhelmed she put her arms around Billy crying uncontrollably. "This can't be happening," she cried.

Billy couldn't hold back his own tears any longer. The two remained embraced crying.

"What are we going to do?" Kimberly sobbed.

"I don't know," Billy choked out through his tears trying to reign in his emotions. "But we need to get back to the Command Center."

Joshua ripped the Golden Shield from his armor and cast it aside. His body began to shake as he clenched his fists in anger. He raised his face to the sky letting out a long tortured scream, his fists punching into the ground at his sides with the sound of a thunder clap sending a cloud of dust up.

"What about him?" Kimberly asked motioning toward Joshua.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "I don't know…"

Joshua awoke from the nightmare with a jolt; the sweat was running down his face and chest soaking his shirt. He rubbed his eyes and wiped away the sweat. He was sitting in the Command Center, it had been remodeled, the black interior, surrounded by monitors, seemed cold, but it always did at night. Faint green lights lit the pathways around the consoles and equipment, the center of the room still housing the holographic projector. The remains of Zordon's Stasis Tube still in place, most of the panels had been removed as Billy had been trying for sometime to fix it, but without Alpha or the design specs it was little more than futility. Joshua tried to regain his composure; it had been a year since that battle, why couldn't he shake the memory? Was there something more to these nightmares than just remorse? As he became aware of his surroundings again he noticed a figure in the shadows watching him.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"A little while," a soft voice replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Joshua sighed.

The figured moved closer to him, as she stepped out into the dull light of the monitors Joshua could see the concern on Kimberly's face.

"Fine except for the nightmares," Kimberly said.

Joshua sighed, "Yeah, except for the nightmares,"

"I know it's been hard for you to accept this," Kimberly started; standing behind him she crossed her arms over his chest. "Especially with no family to…"

Josh tilted his head down.

"I'm sorry, I know you miss them to." She said resting her head on his. "Just know that you're not alone."

"It's not your problem." Josh said trying to put it out of his mind. "I killed your friends, you don't owe me anything."

Kimberly's eyes began to tear up, and she struggled with her words. She wanted to leave, but she forced herself to continue. "You can't do this alone, so stop pushing everyone away, you can make this so hard sometimes," she paused as she choked back the tears. "I know what it's like to hurt and as much as I want to put this all behind me," her voice failed. There was a moment of silence.

"You don't have to say anything," Josh said. "I know I'm being a jerk, I'm sorry,"

"N-no, I want to, just give me a second," as hard as she was trying the tears began to flow, she gathered her strength and just talked through them. "As much as I miss Jason… Zack… and Trini… I-I know you were not in control, that Zedd was making you do things and you could only watch yourself do them." She had to pause again. Joshua could feel her tears drip onto his head. "Even though I've lost some great friends you've lost so much more, and I know you could really use a friend right now."

Joshua reached up and held her hand while she regained her composure. Kimberly let go of him and slid into the chair next to him; he let her hand go as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked over at him, he tried to smile, even though he was fighting back his own tears. Kimberly could see the pain in his eyes, but she still hurt every time she saw his face. As hard as she tried to be brave this was the guy who had killed her friends, she knew it wasn't his fault, but it was so hard to put it behind her, the wound just needed more time to heal.

"So what's going on?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"Just watching the monitors," Josh replied, confused by her random moods. "If this war between Zedd and Mondo ever has a victor we're going to be in trouble."

When Joshua failed to defeat the Rangers Zedd had been left without his most powerful warrior. This resulted in the death of many of Zedd's warriors as well as some Zedd was glad to be rid of, Squat and Baboo who proved to be completely useless, however he had also lost Finster to the Machine Empire. Badly wounded Finster was fixed by the Empire and serves King Mondo as a living cybernetic factory and war-machine for the creations of the Machine Empire known as Hephaestus. Had it not been for Goldar's Zord Cyclopsis and the arrival of Serpentera, Zedd's all powerful War Zord, the Machine Empire may have succeeded in their coup. However, with the added power Zedd was able to bring down many of the Machine Empire ships before the Zords lost power due to the strain of the long battle. Among the casualties were Prince Sprocket, Prince Gasket, and Archerina. With the Machine Empire deprived of all heirs and Zedd's army cut off from support a brutal war of attrition had raged on the Moon for the last year. Though both sides had managed to find some aide despite the loss of long range communications, a problem that the Rangers continued to prolong, the war dragged on with no side gaining a solid advantage. The various militaries of Earth, while on high alert, had opted to not interfere in the hopes that the two sides would destroy each other. Though it seemed strange given Zedd's immense power that things had dragged on so long, perhaps other forces were at work, unknown to them.

However, the time had given the Rangers a chance to regroup and regain strength and numbers. Billy and Kimberly, too torn by the loss of their friends left the task of finding new Rangers to Joshua. When he failed to return for several weeks the two of them began to feel that maybe they had given him too much trust. This fear was alleviated a few days later when he returned with new Yellow and Black Rangers, Ashley Hammond and Adam Park. He also returned the Red Power Coin with the admission that he had been unable to find a strong leader.

This problem still concerned him, and why the war concluding would be a problem if they had not found the leader they needed. Joshua had done his best, but despite his charisma he was no leader. His mind was in the moment and seldom on the big picture. Yet, he knew they needed someone to not only fill the role of team leader, but someone wise like Zordon had been. This was not something he had taken lightly.

"Where's Beta?" Kimberly asked breaking his thought.

"I shut it down," Josh replied. "I know Billy did his best, but that robot is just that, a machine, it just makes me uncomfortable, how empty it is."

"It's too bad you didn't have the chance to know Alpha,"

"Yeah," Josh replied, the memories flashing in his mind. He shook them out trying to refocus. "I'm sure I would have liked him." Joshua looked at his watch; it was early, not even four in the morning yet. "Why are you here so early? Your watch isn't for another six hours."

"I couldn't sleep," she paused, not sure if she wanted to tell him she was concerned about him. Why couldn't she just be honest, it wasn't his fault that Zedd had used him, he was a nice guy, and he had done a lot for them since that day, he wasn't that person. Before she could reach a decision Joshua interrupted.

"Well if you can't sleep, watching the monitors will definitely help."

"So tomorrow's Monday," she said stretching forward. "Are you going to come to school?"

"I don't know, I mean I know you took the time to get me enrolled, but I think I've finally found a solution to our team deficiency that I want to pursue."

"It might do you some good though to just come hang out, relax for a little bit?"

"I don't know Kimberly."

"Just think about it." She said resting her hand on his shoulder as she got up from the chair. "I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?"

"Something with caffeine would be nice."

The last Cog dropped to the ground, the mess of circuitry still in Goldar's hand, his sword through the Cog's head. Goldar looked around in disgust at the dismembered machines and snarled flaring out his wings. His disdain for this army was increased even more because of the lack of satisfaction he gained through the destruction of these machines. He longed for living opponents, the thrill of watching the life leave their bodies, the hot spray of blood on his face; just the thought improved his disposition. If he succeeded today it would only be a matter of time before this war ended and he could finally return to Earth to settle things between the Green Ranger and himself. The wretch that Zedd had praised as his greatest warrior and he had been defeated and was now working with the other Rangers. That human may have been a match for him a year ago, but a year of war had made him an even greater warrior, next time would be different. Goldar shook the thought from his head and proceeded down the dark corridor. To a human the silence broken only by Goldar's heavy footfalls, the ringing of his armor against the metal grate floors would have been unnerving. To Goldar it was beautiful, like a symphony. He reached the end of the hall, the door was sealed; scratched and faded warning symbols covered it. He thrust his sword through and forced it open; a soft blue glow flooded the hallway giving everything an eerie ethereal feeling.

Goldar stepped into the room, his eyes delighted in what he saw. The Neo-plutonium reactor was still intact, even after a year of lying dormant and half buried on the moon. Goldar searched the room until he located the emergency core jettison system. He smiled in satisfaction. He activated a control on his arm gauntlet and proceeded to pull the core release, twist, and push it back in. With the emergency power long depleted the locks securing the core flung loose and then everything went black. In the silence Goldar could hear the heavy foot falls of a Zord as the vibrations resonated the hull of the ship, Cyclopsis was on his way, soon Zedd would have the reactor, soon he too would have what he wanted.

Ashley sat next to Kimberly as she was watching the monitor. She had come over even though she didn't have watch duty today to keep Kimberly company. Not that there was much else to do with the whole planet under martial law. Ashley felt fortunate that as a Ranger, despite the responsibility and training and the raids against the two armies on the moon she had a greater degree of freedom being able to teleport anywhere. She had arrived near the start of Kimberly's watch to find her and Josh talking and laughing, it was unusual for her to see Josh in such good spirits these days. When he had first recruited her he had been so much more sincere and open, but in the days following and especially within the last few weeks he had begun to shut people out as if something heavy were weighing on his conscience. Not that he and Ashley had even been very close, but she still considered him a friend and was concerned about his well being. She had learned to let it go though, as long as he had Kimberly to talk to she figured he would open up when he was ready. Still there was no reason not to discuss the matter with Kimberly since they were already talking about Josh and the possible lead on a new Red Ranger.

"You two looked pretty cozy when I came in this morning." Ashley said.

Kimberly blushed a little, "What do you mean?"

"You two looked like you were having a good conversation this morning. Lately he's been so closed off and I can't even remember the last time I've seen him smile."

"I guess it has been a while," she admitted. "He is having nightmares again."

"I would imagine that what happened to him isn't something you get over quickly," Ashley said.

"No," Kimberly replied. "It's got to be hard when your family is killed in front of you and then you're forced to do the same to others." Kimberly stopped; the thoughts were overwhelming as she began to think of it happening in her own life. "Honestly I'm amazed he is holding up as well as he is, I just wish he would let people in, he's got to be lonely." Kimberly folded her arms over her chest as if hugging herself.

"He just needs time," Ashley replied. "Healing for hurts that deep can't be rushed."

"I know, it's just frustrating when he tries to do everything on his own and shuts everyone else out, it's like he can't let go of what Zedd made him do and now he talks like this whole thing is his fault and he has to fix it all," she stopped with a sigh. "It's really hard to know what to say to him at times."

"I know," Ashley said softly "but just like he can't shoulder the weight of this whole war you can't shoulder the weight of all his burdens on yourself. Maybe you two need each other, but you have to help each other, not try to carry one another, you both need to heal."

"I know," Kimberly said putting her feet on the chair and curling her arms around her legs. "But, when I look into his eyes I can see this beautiful… something, but it's so torn apart by what's happened," her gaze dropped "I just wish I could do more to help him."

"Maybe you are." Ashley replied. "I mean even with how closed off he's been he still talks to you, give him time, I know he'll always come to you when he needs a friend."

"Thanks." Kimberly said smiling.

"Zord activity confirmed, sensors tracking." The voice was so artificial, so unlike Alpha. Beta was already using its hand ports to interface with the main computer. The spherical head out of proportion with the body, like a child's doll. His blue and silver coverings, which resembled the Ranger armor design, yet smooth and streamlined, reflecting the light from the monitor, the only sign of life the red dot that streaked back and forth across its optics like a comet. A single gold lighting bolt was running down the left arm, Billy's memorial to Alpha 5.

"Where is it?" Kimberly asked.

"What is it?" Ashley asked. "I thought both the Zords Zedd had were out of power."

"Negative," Beta replied. "Cyclopsis showing thirty percent power, heading North-east, Manzinus Crater, Zedd's Fortress."

"Scan for any transmissions." Ashley said.

"Negative, no transmissions detected." Beta replied.

"Run a scramble signal anyway."

"Confirmed, scrambling transmission frequencies."

Kimberly pressed the com button. After a brief delay a voice came over the com.

"Billy here, what's going on?"

"Billy," Kimberly started. "Beta just detected Cyclopsis on the Moon, and he's moving."

"Are you sure?"

"Confirmed, Cyclopsis at twenty-nine percent power." Beta responded.

"I'll be right there." Billy ended transmission and teleported.

Billy materialized in the control room, his mind shifting to compensate for the sudden environment change. It seemed to get easier each time he did it, but it was still a little disorienting even after all this time. As soon as things became clear he raced forward to the control panel, scanning over the data trying to determine what was going on.

"It doesn't make sense." Billy said. "Cyclopsis is heading back to Zedd's Fortress, but I'm not seeing any evidence of combat, and if there had been weapon's fire the sensors should have found it immediately." Billy was puzzled. "Beta, get me a visual on Cyclopsis."

"Compliance."

The visual came up on the screen, Cyclopsis was moving at a slow pace across the Moon's surface. Then Billy noticed the arms extended, it was carrying something.

"Magnify."

"What is it?" Kimberly asked.

"He's carrying something," Billy said, concern evident in his voice. "Beta, plot a probable trajectory to determine the origin of his cargo."

"Calculating."

The screen displayed the most likely route given the shortest distance while taking into account terrain and Machine Empire forces. The line stretched through the Rheita Valley and wrapped around the dark side of the Moon.

"Scan along that line, wide sweep, five miles in either direction."

The computers began to go to work; this was going to take some time.

"What do you think it is?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know," Billy replied "I really don't know."

The three of them stood in silence watching the progress indicator on the screen, something was happening; despite the rational thoughts, Billy couldn't help feel a sense of foreboding. He couldn't explain it, but he just knew this was bad.

Joshua was standing before the memorial, the graves of the fallen Rangers. The countless hours he had spent here, trying to come to grips with everything never made this any easier. His eyes were focused on the black marble surface etched with the words, "Here Lies Earth's Greatest Heroes" below was written "And the Greatest Friends". Each Ranger had their name written on the surface, the emblem of their Power Coins etched in marble of their color had been set in the face of the giant slab. Below the slab, three cylinders sunk into the ground, each containing the cremated remains of a Ranger. Joshua looked over the names, Zack Taylor, Jason Scott, Trini Kwan, three lives that he had ended. He stood solemnly, paying his respects. Though he knew they could not answer him, this is where he came to find direction, to face the past and plan for the future. His hair was blowing slightly in the wind, a look of resolve in his eyes. He was lost in the thoughts of the last year, so much had changed, he had discovered so many things; things that made him question all he had ever believed. Joshua stepped forward kneeling before the memorial.

"Forgive me," Josh said quietly. He sighed heavily.

"Object detected." Beta said.

"Identify." Billy commanded.

"Wreckage of Machine Empire Command Ship."

Billy looked worried.

"Do you know what he has?" Kimberly asked.

"No," Billy replied "But if Zedd wants it you can be sure it isn't good. I think you better call in Adam and Joshua."

Ashley pushed the com button. A moment later they both answered.

"You both need to come to the Command Center immediately." Billy said.

"What's going on?" Josh asked.

"Something bad," Ashley replied. "Cyclopsis just took something from the destroyed Machine Empire Command Ship, we don't know what though."

"On my way," Adam replied, and his signal terminated.

"I'm coming," Josh said. "But I have some," he paused searching for the words "News that may seem bad at this moment."

"Wait," Kimberly started, but his signal terminated.

Ashley looked over at Kimberly, her look of distress was apparent. Billy noticed it too.

"Don't worry," Billy said trying to reassure her. "He's never let us down."

She tried to be brave and smile, "We better Morph."

Ashley and Billy nodded; the three took out their Morphers and held them out calling on the ancient power. In a flash of multicolored light their armor formed on their bodies, the power flowing through them enhancing their natural abilities to superhuman levels. Adam teleported in, already morphed into his armor.

"So what's the plan?" Adam asked.

"We'll decide that as soon as Josh gets here." Billy said.

"I'm here," Josh said as he walked through the door of the Control Room. He was dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans, a backpack on. With his stature he would have looked intimidating had they not known him.

"Where were you?" Billy asked.

"I had to take care of something," he paused "kind of personal."

"So what's this news?" Kimberly asked.

Josh paused giving careful thought to the words he was about to say.

"If you want to wait we can go after Cyclopsis first." Billy said.

"I can't go with you," Joshua said "I have to leave for a while and I don't know when I'll be back."

Copyright J Pearson 2006-2008. Power Rangers and all related Characters are property of Disney, all rights reserved.


	2. Chapter 2

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-2-

The Rangers removed their helmets, shock covering their faces.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Billy asked.

"There's something I have to take care of," Josh said his voice apologetic. "And if I don't take care of it now, I may lose the chance."

Kimberly walked up to him, looking deep into his eyes. "If it's that important let us help you."

Joshua could see the compassion in her deep brown eyes, and the desire to help, but he knew what he had to do, and he knew he had to do it alone.

"You can't help me with this," Josh said. "This is something I have to do on my own, because," he paused "I'm the only one who can. I wish I could explain, but right now I can't."

"Please don't shut us out," Kimberly said softly, her eyes glistening, just short of tears. "We're a team, we're all in this together; you don't have to be alone."

"I know," Joshua said, "And that's why this is hard for me to do." He looked up at everyone. "I can't change the past, but I can do something now to make sure we all have a future. I know I've been distant lately, I've had a lot on my mind, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shut you out," Josh sighed, pausing for a moment. "I really want to explain, but it would be too much right now, I promise when I get back I'll tell you everything, all of you." Joshua looked down at Kimberly, "okay?"

"You promise you're coming back?" she asked.

"I promise I'm coming back." Josh said. She could see the determination in his eyes.

"Okay," she rested her head on his chest embracing him.

Joshua placed his arms around her, looking at the others; the question in his eyes. They didn't speak but nodded. Green light began to flow from Joshua's body and envelop Kimberly. His Dragon Shield, golden arm bands, and dagger appeared on her armor. Kimberly aware of what happened, let go and stepped back.

"Why," she started to ask but Joshua preempted her question.

"Pterodactyl has no part in forming the Dragon Warrior Zord, you need some of my powers while I'm gone, especially if you might encounter Cyclopsis."

"But what about your shield?" Kimberly asked, "And you don't have a weapon."

"I won't need them where I'm going," Josh said. He looked at Billy. "You probably won't be able to reach me on the communicator."

"So what happens if we need you?" Adam asked.

"Hopefully you won't" Josh replied. He gave a last look around the room and nodded, and in a blaze of green light he was gone.

Kimberly crossed her arms holding herself, she wasn't so sure about this, and the fact that he had left her with his powers and Zord wasn't reassuring to her. She knew he said he was coming back, but she wondered how much of it was really in his control, and if so how long would he be gone? What if he didn't come back? She really wished she had said something more, but it was too late now, she could only hope there would be another time and place for it. But then again maybe she was just too caught up in the moment and wasn't thinking clearly. He'd be back, as far as it depended on him, she believed that much.

"Kimberly?" Billy's voice broke her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied.

"Then we need to get going."

She nodded. The four of them grabbed their helmets and teleported out.

Joshua rematerialized in front of a Shaolin Temple. It was surrounded by a bamboo forest. The light being reflected off the plants gave the environment a deep splash of green. It was early the next morning here, the sun rising, though not very visible through the foliage. He walked up to the Temple steps and respectfully removed his shoes. He removed a small black bag from his backpack before leaving the pack with his shoes. He took a deep breath walking up the steps and into the Temple. A lone Monk met him at the door, Joshua bowed. The monk bowed in return and guided him in. As they were walking in Joshua began to think back on when all this started nearly a year ago when the map had been found.

While cleaning up the Command Center and refurbishing the equipment Kimberly had stumbled upon a box that appeared to have once contained the Power Coins. Beside the indentations for the six coins there was also a map. When Joshua had left to seek out new Rangers he had, unknown to Kimberly and Billy, taken the map. Deep in the desert he discovered a hidden temple where he was attacked by the guardian, Ninjor. After persuading Ninjor that the Green Power Coin was no longer under the control of evil and explaining the situation Ninjor assisted Joshua in searching out two humans who could use the Power. Joshua also learned of the construct called the Morphing Grid, as it had been labeled by Zordon and Alpha, but what he learned from Ninjor went beyond what even Zordon presumably knew about the power, or maybe he had known and had chosen to keep it a secret. It was during his time with Ninjor that Joshua first learned of the secret Shaolin Temple and the truth about what it would take to bring the Rangers through the crisis they faced. Joshua had not wanted to accept it at first and after returning with Adam and Ashley had pursued other options and searched out several other paths. All of them had turned up nothing, and finally he returned to Ninjor willing to listen. Even now as he was walking down the halls of this awe inspiring Temple he still wasn't totally convinced this was even going to work. But if this is what it was going to take to give them a fighting chance then he was ready to make the sacrifice.

The monk led him to a room. Ninjor was waiting there for him, his armor similar to the Ranger armor, but more closely resembling a ceremonial ninja uniform. Golden 'N's on the head and chest stood in stark contrast to the midnight blue armor plates which were over what appeared to be a dark gray mail. He was standing next to a rack with a single sword on it. The sword was unconventional in appearance, two crystal webs of black and white wrapped the blade which itself was a blue-green crystal. The guard had two characters, Joukai and Makai engraved on it. The handle was a carved stone of some sort, but appeared to have water flowing within it. Behind Ninjor and the sword were a stone table with an elaborate display of the three realms engraved on it and a gate, shut and locked.

The monk bowed to Ninjor and Joshua, they in turn bowed and the monk took his leave. Joshua bowed to Ninjor and proceeded into the room.

"Did you bring the items?" Ninjor asked, his voice ominous like a multitude speaking at once.

"Yes," Joshua replied. He placed the black bag on the table over the engraving of the Earth. He returned to Ninjor.

"I will wait here and aide you as best I can." Ninjor said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Joshua replied setting his will against the odds.

"Then take Reitsuken."

He reached out and took the sword, the gate opened.

The Rangers materialized on the moon, North-east of Cyclopsis. They began to move across the surface as fast as the low gravity would allow them. They would have teleported in ahead of Cyclopsis but could not risk being detected before finding out what he was carrying. The plan was to move west and use the Vlaco crater as cover to observe Cyclopsis. Hopefully the low power levels of the Zord, and the rate at which it was dropping due to the apparent strain of the cargo would most likely mean the more precise sensors would be shut down to conserve power. After all the Machine Empire was mostly poised along the Oceanus region; the terrain was more suited to deploying and maintaining their equipment and factories.

Billy motioned them on, as they maintained silence over the com channels in the event anyone was listening.

The silence was not what Kimberly needed right now, Joshua's departure had come at a bad time, and she was finding she really did need something to distract her from her thoughts. It wasn't just that they had Cyclopsis to deal with it was his whole state of mind recently. He had been so closed off and with his nightmares becoming more intense lately there was no telling what had inspired this sudden decision, she hoped he wasn't doing this out of guilt for the past. She tried to think of a happier time, but with so much tragedy in the last year there wasn't much to lift her spirits. Why did Joshua have to go now? He had seemed fine this morning; this whole thing was so random, why hadn't he even mentioned it before now? She placed one of her hands on the shield plate running her fingers over the three pronged dragon talon insignia engraved there. For some reason her mind shifted to the first time Joshua had left and returned, when he had found Adam and Ashley.

"And so you can see," Billy said pointing at the holographic image displayed. "Zedd's new breed of Putty is comprised mostly of granite, the feet, hands, and joints are of a more malleable highly carbonized iron, roughly equivalent to surgical steel. Now under normal circumstances this would still make the Putty little more than a statue, however each is able to sustain a core of liquid magma in the same way that the Earth's core sustains its heat. I'm not really sure how this is accomplished since the pressure within a Putty is nothing like the intense pressures within the Earth. I can only label it as magic. The Z on the center of the chest coincidently is over a merging of plates that comprise the Putty's torso. These plates create a weak point in the Putty's structure that can be damaged more easily.

Adam and Ashley listened quietly; a little overwhelmed by the detail Billy was putting into his explanations. Kimberly stepped out of the room, this was nothing she didn't already know, and the detail oriented account of their enemies was not appealing to her. As she left the room she proceeded down a hallway leading to large doors. The large doors of the Command Center opened as she approached allowing her to exit the massive structure. Her lungs took in the fresh air, a moment of luxury after spending the day in the Command Center. Maybe a walk would be good to loosen up and help clear her mind.

As she walked along, the light of the setting sun casting shadows over the mountainous terrain, she noticed a figure standing in front of the memorial that she and Billy had made for their friends. It was Joshua and he seemed to be talking to himself. Out of some sense of morbid curiosity she walked closer. She wasn't sure why she wanted to see what was going on, all this guy had done since he got here was apologize for what he had done and try to take revenge against Zedd, as if that was going to help anything, it would never bring them back. She just wished he would find a new Red Ranger so this unbalanced alliance would end and she could move on with her life and get him out of it. He didn't even want to be part of this team anyway. As she drew closer she could make out his words.

"It just can't be true, there is no way." He said. "Or am I just too scared to want to accept it?" He paused as if contemplating something else. "I'm so weak, the great Joshua Raine, martial arts prodigy, what a joke," he laughed shaking his head. "You're a coward Josh, if you were really as great as you think you are you'd fix this instead of hiding behind your arrogance like some coward." He clenched his fists his voice began to shake. "Somebody just tell me what to do," suddenly he screamed out, "Tell me how to make this right!"

Kimberly was caught off guard by this. It had been several months since the incident on the volcano when he was first freed from Zedd's control and yet he still seemed as tormented now as he had been on that day. Joshua dropped onto his knees running his fingers through the dirt, clenching his hands into fists again. He began to repeat something under his breath, but she couldn't tell what he was saying. With each repetition the words were getting louder. She moved closer, doing her best to not make a sound. She finally caught what he was saying.

"It should have been me, I should be dead, not you."

Kimberly gasped; Joshua suddenly became aware of her presence. In an instant he had turned and was on the balls of his feet poised to attack. Even in the dimming light she could see that his eyes were blood shot and his face streaked with tears. When he saw it was her he dropped back onto his knees turning away from her. She wasn't aware of it at that moment, but he hadn't eaten or slept in days. He had never said why exactly except to explain that he had so much on his mind that he couldn't find a moments peace. Kimberly had asked Adam and Ashley if they knew anything, but both were surprised, and commented that up until the time he had introduced them to her and Billy before departing he had seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Please just go, leave me." He said sitting defenseless.

Kimberly had never seen him so vulnerable. This was the Green Ranger, he had single handedly defeated them all on two separate occasions, and she knew that if his heart had truly been bent on evil he would have killed them all. He had taken so much abuse from both her and Billy in their bitterness and loss and never even gave an indication that it had hurt him. He always chose the most dangerous parts of every raid against Zedd and Mondo. He always covered her and Billy when they had to escape. He always bore with the hardships and loneliness like it was his duty, he had always seemed invincible, like nothing could stop him. Yet here he was so torn apart, so frail, and no one to turn to for help. For the first time she saw him as a person, not just the Green Ranger, but a human being who was alone in the world. She had suffered the loss of her friends, but he had lost his family, and been forced to kill others, his conscience bearing the guilt of their blood. Her heart broke in that moment as she realized how callous her own actions and attitude toward him had been. Her eyes began to tear up. She walked over to where he was sitting and knelt down behind him; supporting him she put her arms around chest.

"No," she whispered softly. "You don't have to be alone anymore." She sighed trying to find the words she needed. "Thank you for everything you've done, I know I haven't been nice to you… I'm sorry… if you can forgive me I'd like another chance to be a friend."

Joshua's eyes closed flushing fresh tears down his face. Then Kimberly noticed something she had never seen all these month, he smiled ever so slightly. Not a smile trying to cover over pain, but a moment of happiness. Then without warning she felt his body give out and collapse. At first she was filled with panic, but then, ever so softly she could feel his heartbeat, feel his breathing.

Later Joshua had told her that this was the first moment he had ever felt safe, the first time he had felt like he belonged somewhere since Zedd had come. In that moment his body, so taxed by the lack of sleep and nourishment, the months of isolation from any human compassion finally found a moments rest. The most important thing that he told her though was as he was lying there in her arms it was the first time since that day he hadn't been tormented by nightmares.

Kimberly came out of her day dream realizing they were almost to the crater. For some reason she felt better, maybe Ashley had been right, maybe her being there was all he really needed to heal. She reached up to touch the emblem on the armor again, but stopped in shock when she realized she was no longer running her fingers over the Dragon icon, but in fact the emblem had changed to the Pterodactyl. A chill ran through her, what did this mean? Was this a normal thing, but then why didn't it happen immediately? She tried to put it out of her mind, Billy was the only one who could provide answers, and she couldn't break silence for this, and even if she could, there was nothing she could do right now. She just hoped Joshua was okay.

They all continued their advanced in silence across the lifeless surface. Though they could not hear the sound of the Zord they could feel the ground shake under the weight of its massive footfalls. It was close, but not too close. The group reached the edge of the crater and did their best to conceal themselves in the barren terrain. Billy was monitoring Cyclopsis' approach while the others kept watch for any other threats. Vigilance was important when on the moon as sound would not travel through the vacuum. Normally they would use their seismic sensors to monitor the slightest variations in ground movement, however Cyclopsis' presence was making that impossible.

Billy could now make out the object in Cyclopsis' hands it was some type of reactor. Running a spectra-graphical analysis did little good. The reactor had obviously been shut down for transport and that was making it hard to get a good reading. What he was seeing though was a signature that went beyond anything on the periodic table, but with the interference created by the Zord's own power source it was hard to get an exact fix on the signature. As Cyclopsis reached the far side of the crater Billy slid down the outside of the crater to hide. They waited as the footfalls grew a little more distant. When Billy was satisfied they had not been detected he signaled to the others to teleport. The four of them vanished into streaks of light.

As they rematerialized in the Command Center they removed their helmets happy to be back in an atmosphere.

"So what was that thing?" Adam asked.

"Some kind of reactor," Billy replied, "I'm not sure what kind, but it would seem the power source is a substance that we haven't discovered on Earth yet." He turned to Beta, "Estimated time to Zedd's Fortress?"

"Estimated time of arrival to Fortress barrier, two hours forty-six minutes seventeen seconds at present speed."

"Does the Zord have enough power to make it?" Adam asked.

"Present rate of consumption places Zord fifty-three meters inside Fortress barrier. Variation of thirteen meters possible given no extraneous variables."

"Sounds like we need a variable," Billy said.

"But what?" Ashley asked.

"Somehow we need to get the Zords to the moon, but it would take a couple of hours to fit the Dragon Warrior Zord for travel to the moon, and then there would be the actual trip." Billy replied.

The problem had existed for the past year, but had never been an issue that took priority. There was simply no easy way to get the Zords off planet. The teleportation system did not have enough power to transport that much mass that great of a distance. Since all the war machines on the Zord scale had been inactive until now it had been easy to overlook. It had seemed more likely as well that the fight would have come to them when one army finally decided to invade, but now it seemed it would have to be dealt with.

"What would it take to drain off enough power from Cyclopsis?" Kimberly asked.

"Not much," Billy said. "It would seem this entire operation was carefully calculated to not have any interference. Which means Zedd either has other agents at work to ensure this or this is a desperate gamble using what few resources he still has."

"I'll go," Kimberly said. She had wanted to ask about the change on the shield, but this was more important. As concerned as she was about Joshua she needed to keep her focus on protecting the Earth.

"I don't know if that's the best idea." Adam replied, his tone hesitant.

Kimberly summoned her courage and tried to be bold, "I don't like it either, but Pterodactyl is ready to launch now, and I can make it there without the teleporter or anything added to my Zord."

Billy remained silent, but was running the numbers in his head. He turned to the console and began doing some calculations.

"But if you go alone we can't help you if something goes wrong." Ashley said.

"I know," Kimberly replied, "But this is something I have to do. I don't understand what that thing is, but if Zedd wants it so bad we have to at least slow him down a little."

Billy spoke up. "It really is the best option. It will take you about twenty minutes to reach Cyclopsis' position and you only need to keep him busy for a minute or two even if you can't destroy the reactor."

"Then I'm going," Kimberly replied grabbing her helmet. Without another word she teleported to her Zord and prepared for start up.

Billy's voice came over the com, "The flight path is programmed into your computer, just follow the trajectory on the HUD."

"Got it,"

"And Kimberly,"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"I will," she throttled up, released the docking clamps, and activated the launch catapult. The magnetic rail accelerated her Zord to supersonic speed, with a sky shattering crack the Pterodactyl exploded from the volcano and soared into the heavens.

Lokar paced around his laboratory, it had once been Finster's workshop. He was worried about the present operation and could not shake the memory of the battle that started the horrors they now faced. His mind drifted back to the day the Machine Empire attacked, the day his Lord's Empire almost fell.

"It's the Machine Empire!" Goldar roared. "We are under attack!"

Lokar looked up to see thousands of Quadrafighters covering the sky like locusts. Hundreds of Machine Empire warships were already overhead with even more coming out of hyperspace. This was a bold move for King Mondo, Lokar knew the Machine Empire had never fully supported his Lord's rule, but this made no sense. If this was not the entire Machine Empire's army it was certainly close, what could drive Mondo to risk his entire Empire in a single battle? Yet there was no time to contemplate motive as another volley of fire slammed into the defensive shields. The Dark Fortress, which had sat cloaked in a low orbit over Zedd's Fortress now tore from its protective camouflage and opened fire with all gun batteries. The void was lit bright by the explosions of hundreds of Quadrafighters. In this moment of surprise squadrons of Velocifighters began to scramble launching from both the Dark Fortress and the Palace.

Quadrafighters had already begun landing, converting to walker mode they marched forth like an army of ants. With thunderous quaking Goldar's Zord, Cyclopsis, raced out of the Fortress gates into the oncoming walkers releasing volleys of missiles into the swarms of fighters still in the sky. Blades extended from the Zord's wrists cutting into the walkers that had begun advancing. The savagery of Goldar's attack was incredible as his lone Zord blazed through the Fighters in a flurry of blades and ordinance.

Lokar looked to see his Lord leap from the balcony destroying several more fighters with a single swing of his sword, the energy arc tearing through the craft like they were no more than paper. Yet he was concerned as he saw a streak of green leave the balcony and go to Earth. Surely his Lord did not need the Green Ranger's assistance, but he couldn't help think it unwise to send one of their most powerful warriors away at such a time. Yet he could not concern himself with such matters at this time and stepped out widening his stance. He began to chant an incantation curling his hands as if holding an invisible sphere. As his chants became more intense energy began to visibly gather, a twisted mass of black and red sparking light. Lokar's hands began to shake as he strained to hold the energy within his grasp. With a scream of force Lokar thrust the orb forward discharging a huge burst of energy that pulsed as it departed from his hands. The blast flew through space hitting several fighters before slamming into one of the gear shaped warships. The blast tore the ship to pieces and slammed into another beyond it destroying a good portion of the craft. Caught in the gravity of the Moon it began to descend finally plowing into the Moon sending up a wave of dust.

"You will pay for this defiance with your lives!" Zedd roared as he lifted his saber above him. The entire moon began to shake as the space above them began to ripple and distort. In a furious explosion that cast thousands of Quadrafighters from the skies and tore several warships asunder a large, lithe, obsidian Dragon Zord emerged from the rift, eyes blazing red.

Lokar stood awestruck, never had his Lord displayed so much power in a single act of his will. It was inspiring.

The mouth of the behemoth Zord began to glow with a blazing yellow light, webs of lighting coursed over the body of the great dragon as a swirling vortex of energy began to build at the front of the mouth. The Machine Empire's warships began to focus their fire on the large War Zord, but it was to little effect. With a violent burst of power that ruptured the very fabric of space-time Serpentera unleashed its attack, energy bursting forth like lighting harvest from the storms of a million worlds. Serpentera swept the attack through the sky vaporizing over one hundred enemy warships as their shields buckled and the craft were atomized by the overwhelming power.

Aboard the Machine Empire's Flag Ship, the Machina which resembled more of a clockwork palace than a warship, Mondo sat coldly watching the destruction of his military might. Machines could always be rebuilt, but if Zedd prevailed today he would never have the chance, he would be hunted mercilessly. Still he had caught Zedd by surprise, or so it appeared, this was unexpected. However with the arrival of Serpentera he was uncertain that his fleet still had enough strength to prevail, Zedd's forces had destroyed nearly half of his warships and while he was certain Serpentera could not manage another attack of that magnitude, he still had the Dark Fortress and Zedd himself to contend with. His processing was interrupted by Klank.

"Sire, incoming transmission from the Preliator Gladius." He said patching it through.

"What is it my son?" Mondo asked.

"Father," Prince Gasket began as his holographic image appeared on a circular display to Mondo's right, his voice devoid of emotion. "We will never win this war from orbit alone; we must force a ground battle while we still have enough Cogs to overwhelm them."

"Very well, begin landing your forces outside the Fortress bar…" suddenly Gasket lurched and the image cut out. "What is going on?" Mondo demanded.

"Sire, the Preliator Gladius has been hit, it is going down." Klank responded.

On the bridge of his ship Gasket pulled himself up from the wreckage, fire was everywhere as liquid oxygen poured from a ruptured fuel line. The front of the bridge had been torn away, the navigation counsels and the pilots torn to shrapnel. Then to his left he saw her, his bride Archerina rended, lying on the floor, the spark of life gone from her cold metal corpse.

"Sire, the core is about to go critical," A Cog replied in a monotone voice as it stood mindlessly at its enflamed station.

"Then we shall perish in fire with our enemies!" Gasket declared. Several cables whipped from his arm plugging into his chair. His mind began to interface with the ship's systems. As he merged with the ship he became aware of all that surrounded him. Locking onto the largest power source he began to direct the craft as it fell to the moon.

"Prepare to detonate the core on my command!" Gasket shouted.

"Affirmative," The Cog replied.

"I will show him the power of the Machine Empire Father!"

The Preliator Gladius continued forward, picking up speed. Below Zedd looked up to see the flaming hulk heading directly toward him, did this fool really believe that such a graceless and obvious attack had a chance to stop him. Zedd drew his sword back preparing to attack, but as he did his mind was racked by pain, he felt his bond with the Green Ranger destroyed, and something within him screamed in fury. In this moment of weakness the massive Warship plowed into the ground where Zedd stood pinning him, for a split second between the ship and the Palace shields.

"Now!" Gasket roared

In a blinding flash of light the ship's Neo-plutonium core achieved critical mass and exploded with the force of a hundred nuclear weapons. Much of the energy was absorbed by the Palace shields, but the electromagnetic pulse disabled thousands of Fighters and their pilots above. The remains of the warship's hull melted filling the crater and encasing Zedd's body in a metal tomb. Lokar fell to his knees at the sight of his Lord's defeat. Cyclopsis, having been powered by the arcane power that radiated from the Palace as well as Zedd, began to shut down. Goldar turned and began his fall back toward the Palace.

Aboard the Machina Mondo sat with quiet confidence that his son's sacrifice had won this war for them.

"Did we win Dad?" Sprocket asked.

"Don't bother your Father right now," Machina said. "We just lost our first constructed."

"It is without consequence," Mondo replied. "When this is over then…"

Mondo stopped as the display of Zedd's resting place began to move. For a moment all the warriors on both sides paused as the hardened metal pool that had been Zedd's tomb was torn apart, the Dark Lord emerging from its husk. Lokar ran to his side.

"My Lord," Lokar said catching him as he collapsed; the fire in his eyes a dim and dying flame. Lokar was mortified at the condition of his Lord, but it was no small wonder that he was even alive after such an assault. Lokar began to carry him back through the barrier.

"No!" Mondo said slamming his hand down on the counsel to his right. "All force begin landing, storm the Palace, Zedd must not be allowed to escape!"

On the ground below Lokar was reaching the Palace gates as Goldar arrived with Cyclopsis, the Zord was nearly out of power as it strained to pass through the protection of the Palace shields. Reaching the gates the Zord collapsed to its knees, Goldar emerging from the cockpit drawing his sword and unfurling his wings. As he landed beside Lokar Scorpina met them in the Great Hall, now empty, the Quadrafighters above fighting to maintain air superiority over the Palace.

"The Machine Empire is landing troops," Scorpina reported.

"Goldar, Scorpina, hold the line here. Do not let one of those cursed machines into our Lord's Palace!" Lokar said as he carried Zedd passed them.

Lokar reached out to Astronema, "The Machine Empire is landing forces, we need as many Quantrons and Putties sent to the Great Hall to hold the line as possible, and send any available warriors to help. Our Lord is injured; I need you to meet me in the Throne Room."

"Understood," Astronema replied.

Astronema turned to those on the bridge with her, Squat and Baboo, who had joined the crew in order to be further away from Lord Zedd, and Finster who had been working with the Quantrons to improve the Dark Fortress' systems.

"You two, get down to the Great Hall," she ordered looking at Squat and Baboo.

"Oh, we're not really fighters," Baboo stammered.

"Yeah," Squat added, "Maybe there's something else we could do."

Even as they spoke Ecliptor used the Fortress' teleporter to send them down to the Hall.

"Finster, we need more Putties." Astronema relayed.

"Of course, if you could send me to my workshop I can begin producing more immediately." Finster said happy to have a job away from the front line.

Astronema nodded and Ecliptor teleported Finster off the bridge.

"Ecliptor," Astronema began, "I'm placing you in command, find a way onto the Machina and disable it, if you can do that it should create enough chaos to allow us to route the Machine Empire."

"I will not fail you Empress," Ecliptor reassured her as she teleported from the bridge.

On the ground, below the battle that raged above, legions of Cogs continued to teleport to the barren surface and marched forward bringing massed laser fire to bear against the weakened Palace shields. Within the barrier, near the gates Goldar and Scorpina mobilized the forces they had, the Quantrons digging in and preparing to engage as the shield began to buckle under the continued strain placed on it. The Putties being moved to positions behind the Quantrons and preparing to assault the enemy in hand to hand combat as they approached. Several of the Quantrons were fitting Cyclopsis with power cables from the Palace turning the Zord into a semi-mobile gun battery. Goldar was concerned, the bulk of their Putties were formed from Rita's former stock of magic clay, which were vastly inferior to Zedd's Putties which were forged from a far greater magic even if they still had their weakness.

"We should save the better Putties to engage when the others already have the Cogs bogged down." Scorpina said.

"Agreed," Goldar growled. "You will be in command on the ground, I will provide cover using Cyclopsis' weapons."

"What about those two?" Scorpina asked motioning toward Squat and Baboo.

"Give them rifles and place them with the Quantrons, if they try to run," Goldar glared at the two of them, "shoot them."

Squat and Baboo said nothing, but looked fearfully at one another. Goldar turned away and climbed into Cyclopsis. With a crackle of energy the forward shield grid collapsed, the rush of air stirred the dust as the pocket of air around the Palace decompressed. Scorpina, Squat and Baboo placed on masks to recycle their air. The Palace doors closed sealing the bulkheads. The Cogs began to lurch forward against the force of the decompression, the Quantrons opened fire.

On board the Machina Mondo was forming plans of his own.

"Klank!" Mondo summoned.

"Yes Sire," Klank came and knelt before Mondo, Orbus hovering next to him.

"The Palace Shields are compromised. Take a contingent of Cogs and infiltrate the Palace, capture or destroy any resources you find."

"Yes, Sire." Klank replied leaving his King's presence.

In the Throne Room, Lokar worked quickly to remove Zedd's armor as Astronema began attaching cables and tubing to Zedd to deliver life sustaining concoctions. Both worked frantically as Zedd's body grew weaker and the flame that once filled them with a deep sense of terror now flickered and threatened to be snuffed out. The whole of Lokar's Arcanum was directed at keeping his Lord alive, though his meager power was barely satiating his Lord's great thirst. The two continued to work, neither one saying a word, yet each feared that if Zedd were lost it would only be a matter of time before they too faced the same fate.

Ecliptor entered the boarding craft and sealed the hatch, the Quantrons loading it into one of the magnetic rail launchers. His plan had been simple, to concentrate one last blast from Serpentera onto the forward shields of the Machina while simultaneously firing with all the gun batteries aboard the Dark Fortress it should take down the shield for a moment allowing his craft to pierce the armor of the ship's bridge. As his craft locked into place he gave the order to open fire.

Serpentera halted in its task of rending ships with its large claw and charged its main weapon to a mere five percent before the systems began to shut down. With no more power left to be used the Zord and Dark Fortress opened fire in tandem. Before the blast had struck Ecliptor was launched, accelerated to speeds nearing mach ten. The attack struck the forward shields weakening them and causing local failure for a brief moment allowing Ecliptor's craft to penetrate the shield, the adamantium spear head of the craft met with the adamantium hull of the warship tearing through it and skidding through the bridge impacting on the far wall. Ecliptor wasted no time in emerging from the craft, his sword drawn, but even as he emerged he saw Mondo and Machina close a bulkhead behind them escaping to other regions of the ship. Ecliptor cursed striking the side of the boarding craft. As he looked around he saw to his delight that his boarding action had destroyed Sprocket. The lower body of the machine lay on the floor; clearly the rest was torn apart during impact, though no sign of it existed. But, there was no time to enjoy this small victory. With Mondo off the bridge it would only be a matter of time before he could resume control of the ship from another location. Ecliptor quickly set the engines to overload, dropped the shields and then accessed the weapon controls. In a brutal attack he began to turn the full firepower of the Machina on the other warships bringing them down one by one.

On the Palace balcony Klank and his strike team had almost cut through the bulkhead. Below him the other Cogs were keeping the defenders busy, yet it was at great cost as Cyclopsis was tearing apart rows of machines with its powerful weapons. Klank secured the portable shield they had brought to keep the air from escaping from the newly cut hole. While his soldiers need no air he knew that to create another breech would alert enemy and result in another bulkhead being lowered to prevent loss of atmosphere. That would cost him time they did not have. The Cogs finished their work, a huge metal slab was pushed through the molten edges of the cut and the Machine Empire surged through the hole. They were met by Putties as their entry had brought them in through the observation deck painfully close to Finster's workshop. Klank proceeded through the breech removing a naganata-like weapon from his back, the blades were shaped like gears. The Cogs had engaged with the Putties, but their frail clay forms were of little use against the hardened metal warriors, and the damage done by the Putties transformed appendages was more superficial than anything. The Cogs continued to advance, the laser bursts from their eyes doing little against the ceramic bodies of their adversaries. Had it not been for the Cogs small measure of physical combat the battle would have been a stalemate.

Klank saw the machine that was producing the Putties and the small imp that operated it. He ordered his drones forward and restrained the frail creature. The machine however continued to churn out clay warriors. With some regret Klank raised his weapon and struck the construct. Finster tore free from his captors and shoved Klank back in desperation, trying to save his forge. But as he did so the machine exploded sending shrapnel flying in all directions. The Cogs were unaffected, but Finster collapsed his body torn, his pale blue blood flowing from the many gashes over his body.

The Machina shook as the alarm warned that the engines had ruptured, the ship was going down. Ecliptor redirected the warship away from the Palace and, firing on one more warship, teleported from the bridge. The alarm to fall back sounded through out the Machine Empire. The waves of Cogs, who had nearly reached the Palace gates, began to fall back. Scorpina watched, half buried in the corpses of Cogs, as the remaining drones began to fall back. The front lines had been completely over run. The corpses of Cogs, Putties, and Quantrons littered the grounds outside the gate. Even Cyclopsis had been toppled and lay on the ground, a scorched mess. However, as Scorpina looked on the cockpit opened and Goldar emerged, his eyes filled with an intense ferocity. Though the fight had other casualties, Squat and Baboo lay on the ground burned and trampled, nearly buried below the scrap of the two armies.

Above, the few remaining warships changed course to escort the Machina, engaging tow lines to guide it to a suitable landing site. The remaining Quadrafighters followed to provide cover. The Dark Fortress came to rest on top of the Palace extending its shields over the palace, the remaining Velocifighters returning to the Dark Fortress. Goldar and Scorpina surveyed the carnage. Goldar tucked his wings away as he let out a discontented growl, the battle may have ended, but the war was far from over.

As Klank received the fall back command his Cogs quickly gathered the wounded creature and the remains of his machine and returned to the balcony teleporting back to one of the few remaining warships. Klank had plans for this creature; he might prove to be the key to their eventual victory.

Now Zedd sat, confined to his throne barely alive, the power of Astronema's Dark Fortress diverted to the machine that sustained his life force combined with Lokar's own dark magic. However, they lacked the power needed to fully revive him.

If only he could find a way this war would be over and they could once again turn their attention to the Earth and expand Zedd's glorious empire across the Universe. The situation was made more infuriating because with so much of his own power drained to sustain his Lord he could not open a gateway to travel off the moon to retrieve help or find a solution, and with the Dark Fortress' power sustaining Zedd they had lost all space travel except for Astronema's Velocifighters. However, these were only short range fighters, not capable of crossing the great expanse of space to reach another of Zedd's many worlds.

Then there were the Rangers, those insufferable humans! It angered him just to think about them. They were always interfering with his Lord's plans, had it not been for them they would have been able to contact the Empire.

Josh clung to the exterior of the Dark Fortress, magnetic grips on his boots and hands holding him to the outer shell. Josh looked down, the massive space station was perched above Zedd's fortress like an ominous gargoyle; even with the Moon's reduced gravity it was still a long fall, and Josh was having trouble reassuring himself that he would survive the fall, but he had to complete his mission. The Fortress had been docked here ever since the first battle with the Machine Empire had ceased nearly a week ago. Billy was unsure why the Fortress was inactive, but Josh had persuaded Billy and Kimberly to act before Zedd could summon more of his armies. When the three of them had returned to the Command Center Josh had managed to compose himself enough to tell Billy about the Machine Empire's attack and advised him to broadcast a jamming signal. While Billy had been content with this, Josh had never seen it as more than a temporary solution. He wanted to ensure, no matter what other means Zedd may have that the communications array on the Dark Fortress was destroyed. He knew from his service to Zedd that the Fortress housed one of communication hubs for Zedd's Empire, destroying it would at least cause a decent amount of confusion. More importantly the chaos from the explosions would give him a chance to confront Zedd. He had to be stopped and Josh knew he was the only one of the Rangers who even had a chance. The thoughts of vengeance hung in Josh's mind as he continued his ascent, several explosive charges strapped to his back. As he reached the top he hopped across the surface of the fortress toward the massive array in the center of the vessel. Moving along the surface of the craft he barely noticed the Earth glowing like a blue pearl in the sky. His mind was fixed on getting to his objective and killing Zedd.

He reached the array and began to plant the explosives on the critical points Billy had been able to find through his scans. As the last one was placed Josh located the access hatch near the array and forced his dagger between the thick doors. As he applied some leverage the doors began to slowly open, the sound of gears grinding as the stations mechanics worked against him. Finally he was able to force it open enough to get his arms in. Yet as he reached in he dropped his dagger down the shaft, he heard in clang as it hit the metal floor below. Josh cursed under his breath; nothing he could do about it right now. He inhaled deeply and then forced the doors all the way out, sparks flying from the gap as the motors that controlled the doors shorted out under the stress. Josh dropped into the shaft landing below in a crouch. He picked up his dagger from the floor and carefully proceeded forward down a short hallway. As he came to a door he switched his visor over to electromagnetic scanning. He was almost blinded as the interference from the communications equipment nearly overpowered everything else. Yet faintly, through all the visual data, he could make out three signatures moving around in the room. Josh strained his eyes to see if there were more, but the feedback was too much. He switched his visor back over to standard mode and took a moment to let his eyes readjust. With his vision clearing he pulled his Blade-Blaster from its harness and hit the access switch for the door.

The Quantrons rose as the door opened. Josh charged the closest one flinging his Dragon Dagger and Blade-Blaster like darts at the other two. The weapons tore through their heads as Josh hit the head of the third Quantron with an open palm strike shattering the head and nearly snapping it off. With the head hanging by little more than a few wires the Quantron collapsed to the ground. Josh surveyed the room for a moment, seeing no other enemies he retrieved his weapons from the other fallen machines. He worked quickly to secure explosives to the cooling tower located in an adjacent room and to the main computers in the com room. With the charges set Josh accessed the network to locate a map of Zedd's fortress, however nothing was available except for the data on the Dark Fortress. Disappointed Josh turned away; it would seem he'd need to look for Zedd the hard way. Removing a grate he dove down the ventilation shaft. As he fell Josh could see spinning blades rushing up to meet him, the fans that helped circulate the air within the battlestation. Extending his hands out before him Josh launched a blast of plasma from his hands reducing the fan to liquid metal which began to fall and cool. As he passed through the debris he repeated his attack against the next fan. After passing through it he extended his hands and feet engaging his magnetic grips which began to slow him down. Finally, coming to a stop Josh exited through a side hatch and proceeded to crawl down a tunnel for nearly a hundred meters. As he reached the grate at the end he could see Kimberly and Billy waiting for him. Turning onto his back he kicked the grate out drawing Billy and Kimberly's attention.

"The charges are set," Josh replied dropping out of the ventilation shaft into the corridor.

"Alright," Billy acknowledged flipping the safety off on the remote detonator. "Fire in the hole."

As he pressed the button the Dark Fortress shook as the communications array erupted into a ball of fire. The shaking continued as secondary charges detonated in the communications room destroying the equipment and computers needed to power and run the giant array. Billy and Kimberly rose to their feet, Josh seemed distracted.

"Okay," Billy started. "We need to get back outside the barrier so we can teleport out of here. The explosions should have them confused enough that we can escape."

"You go," Josh said coldly, "I have some unfinished business."

"Look," Billy said. "I may not be real happy with you right now, but we need you and I'm not going to leave you here. If there's something else you need to do we'll help."

"No," Josh replied. "I need to kill Zedd, I need to end this."

"What is wrong with you!" Kimberly said punching his shield. "My friends are dead because of you and Zedd, they died trying to free you and now you want to go and throw your life away!"

"Zedd has to be stopped!" Josh shouted.

Kimberly slapped Josh's helmet. "You'll be killed and you know it! You told us yourself that you're no match for him, whether we're friends or not we're a team and we can't do this without you!"

"I'm not asking for permission, I'm telling you I'm going to do this," Josh replied.

Kimberly started to protest, but Billy interrupted. "You know we can't stop you, but this is a bad idea."

"I don't care," Josh said coldly. "Zedd murdered my family, forced me to kill, he needs to die." Josh turned to go.

"Fine!" Kimberly said holding back tears, "But if you go today and you die what then? If you fail then my friends really did die for nothing!"

Her words cut Josh, he knew she was right, he was all that was left of Jason's, Trini's, and Zack's efforts, of their legacy. If he failed not only would he fail himself, but he would fail those who had died to save him and he would have failed his family. He paused trying to choke down his own pain.

"Fine," Josh said turning toward Kimberly. "But when your team is whole again I'm leaving to finish this."

"Good," Kimberly snapped back.

Without further discussion the three of them proceeded to the end of the corridor passing through a door. As they entered the room opened up into a large cargo area. Huge crates, stacked in organized rows, full of weapons and supplies filled the room. Beyond the rows of crates were two large doors used when cargo was being loaded and unloaded. The three Rangers walked forward quickly.

"As soon as we open these doors they're going to know where we are," Billy said.

"Suits me," Josh replied, his tone still agitated.

"Are you sure we can just jump from this height?" Kimberly asked.

"We're only about a thousand meters up, with the Moon's reduced gravity we won't even reach terminal velocity, just make sure to keep your arms and legs extended to increase drag." Billy paused as he thought of something. "That is of course assuming the atmosphere inside the barrier is equivalent to Earth's."

"Can we just get out of here?" Josh replied. "The armor would hold up even under terminal velocity, so who cares how hard we hit."

Billy ignored his response and proceeded to activate the controls. With a loud humming the massive doors began to open revealing a beautiful expanse of moonscape, the Earth on the horizon like a blue jewel. Kimberly forgot her anger for a moment as she stared out on a view that few people had ever seen.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight," Josh said pointing down.

On the ground below Lokar stood with a small mixed army of Putties and Quantrons with more converging on their location. They could already hear the sound of metal feet clanging on the hallway floor outside the cargo bay.

"We're going to be easy targets if we jump," Billy said. "And if we go back we could have to face all of Zedd's army,"

"Or we could improvise," Josh replied diving out of the cargo doors.

"Wait!" Kimberly shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Billy shouted into the com.

"Giving you two a distraction," Josh replied tucking his arms and legs in.

Kimberly and Billy looked at each other for a moment.

"He's going to get himself killed." Kimberly said.

"No time to worry about that now," Billy said. "Just get ready to jump."

Josh raced at the ground in a straight dive, Lokar watched him close in, just waiting for his chance to kill this traitor. As he closed on the ground Josh began to form a shell of burning plasma around his body.

"Take Aim!" Lokar shouted.

The Quantrons complied bringing up their rifles, tracking Josh as he fell. As he was mere seconds from the ground Josh rotated his body to land on his feet.

"Fi…" Lokar started, but was cut off.

Josh impacted the ground causing the immediate area to shake, but as he hit the plasma that had surrounded him like a shell burst out in a ring, the force of the impact along with the intense heat knocked the Quantrons and Putties back and temporarily blinded them.

"Go!" Billy said.

The two Rangers dove from the cargo bay as Quantrons and Putties recovered and began to swarm forward.

As Josh rose to his feet he found himself surrounded by a small army. He focused his mind reminding himself that less gravity meant everything about combat changed up here. If they were in the Palace things would have been balanced by the gravity generators, but he couldn't let ideal circumstances distract him. As the Putties came forward he launched twin punches to the chests of the two directly in front of him. The bodies cracked and began to crumble as his fists plunged into the magma core. Pulling back he unsheathed his dagger and decapitated a Quantron that was approaching from behind. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion and Josh was having a hard time adjusting his timing.

Billy and Kimberly landed behind Josh crushing a couple of Quantrons as they landed. Lokar began advancing through his minions toward the Rangers.

"We need a way out," Josh said.

"You're forgetting a basic fact about low gravity," Billy replied kicking a Putty causing it to sail over the army.

"And that would be?" Kimberly asked unsheathing her Blade-Blaster and stabbing a Quantron through the chest.

Billy didn't reply but instead leapt from the ground, soaring high into the air. Pulling his Blade-Blaster he converted it to Blaster mode and began firing on several of the Quantrons. Josh and Kimberly wasted no time and leapt after him. The three Rangers flew over the small horde and landed between Zedd's forces and the barrier. Kimberly and Billy immediately began to bounce toward the barrier's edge.

Josh turned and faced Lokar, the warlock's cold blue eyes fixed on the traitor. Josh said nothing, but smirked and turned away. Lokar scowled as the Rangers reached the barrier's edge and teleported out wishing he had the power to manage an attack.

"They've escaped," Lokar reported to Astronema.

"We have bigger problems," Astronema said over the com, the sound of the alarm still in the background. "The explosion knocked out one of the reactors and it can't be repaired unless we take the entire fortress offline."

"So what does that mean?" Lokar asked.

"It means that even if we fix the communications array we don't have enough power to use it, we need to locate another reactor so we can power Zedd's chamber independently of the Fortress."

Lokar was quiet, he would make them all pay for this interference.

Lokar was brought from his enraging thoughts as Astronema entered the room accompanied by several of her Quantrons.

"What is it?" Lokar asked his tone hostile.

"Goldar is approaching with the reactor," she began. "However, my scouts have detected an incoming Zord. It's the Pink Ranger."

"Does she pose a threat?" Lokar ask gathering his composure.

"I have launched the two available squadrons to intercept her and protect Cyclopsis, but we can not afford to fail at this point."

"Then I will accompany you."

Kimberly could see the incoming fighters on her scope. Looks like Zedd did have something in store just in case someone tried to interfere. There was nothing she could do about it now she had to keep her objective in mind. Beyond her she could see Cyclopsis still marching across the lunar surface, but he was out of range and those fighters would reach her before she could reach her target. She considered her options and knew she did not have the time, or the fire power to take down all the incoming fighters, so that only left one option, she would have to evade and deal as much damage to Cyclopsis as possible before retreating. She could now see the Velocifighters on her HUD, the display tracking ten fighters, the radar indicating more below flying cover for the reactor.

"Here we go," she said under her breath.

She lined up on the lead fighter watching the range counter descend rapidly as the two craft raced toward one another. In a second the display changed from red to green, Kimberly fired a burst from her laser cannons and banked hard right into a barrel roll diving toward the moon, the directional thrusters straining at maximum power. The lead fighter was hit. The armor superheated and striped away, the internals melted. The fighter began to drift. Several energy blasts tore through the space Kimberly had occupied only moments ago. The other fighters broke formation and pursued the Pterodactyl Zord. As the pursuers opened fire Kimberly maneuvered, her Zord flying as if it had been choreographed, the shots tearing over the Zord centimeters from the armor. Had it not been for her enhanced reflexes and senses she would have been paralyzed by vertigo as space and the moon surface swirled in her HUD. However, through the swirling torrent she could make out Cyclopsis, still trudging along the moon's surface, she also could see the second squadron moving to attack. Kimberly headed directly into the second squadron only to veer away moments before they opened fire. The radar registered that several targets had been destroyed in the cross-fire. It struck Kimberly as strange that despite the pilots being machines, that Zedd would waste them in this way.

Cyclopsis was now in range; she locked onto the Zord and fired missiles. The twin warheads streaked toward the Zord, the first was intercepted by a fighter using its hull to block the shot. The other however, made it through and hit the Zord in the back causing it to stagger trying to balance. Kimberly knew she needed to do more to take away its mobility. She dove at the legs going into a controlled spin, arcing as she descended. Several fighters were close on her tail, but could not get a lock on her agile Zord. She locked onto the right knee joint and fired, tucking her wings. The missiles impacted into the knee tearing apart the actuators. Kimberly flew under the Zord, the body spinning to align with the narrow passage between the Zord's legs for a split second as her Zord screamed through, the wings unfurling after it passed. Cyclopsis collapsed, missing her Zord by a few meters. A few fighters were unable to pull out of pursuit in time and crashed into the Zord's rear torso causing the Zord to fall forward. Goldar maneuvered the arms to protect the reactor as the Zord fell.

Kimberly pulled out, Cyclopsis enclosing around the reactor below her. Several fighters had given up the pursuit to secure the Zord. She may have not have destroyed it, but at least Zedd would not be getting it back to his Fortress any time soon.

"Good job Kimberly, now get out of there." Billy said over the com.

"Working on it," she replied, "but I still have some company."

Nearly a whole squadron was still in pursuit, obviously for no other reason than retaliation for her interference. She had pushed the Zord to maximum thrust, but the maneuvering was draining the power cells far too quickly, she might make it back to Earth, but she might not have enough power to land, then there was reentry to consider.

"One crisis at a time Kim," she said trying to remain calm.

Lokar stormed down the hall, furious at the failure of this operation. If only Green Ranger had been successful at destroying those Rangers, this war could have been over a long time ago. He reached the great door at the end of the hall, the entrance to Lord Zedd's Throne Room. He composed himself and entered the room. At the far end Zedd sat, his body encased in plates, tubes protruding from the plates carrying mystical concoctions and vital fluids in and removing the toxins and decay. His eye line visible; the mass of tough muscles, his once powerful eyes now only a pale flame. The grate over his mouth amplified his labored breathing, like the dying snarl of some fierce creature. Lokar could barely stand to see his master in such a condition.

"What news Lokar?" Zedd asked his voice still confident despite his condition. Yet it lacked the strength it once possessed, now only a raspy whisper, like an old man whose days were fast ending.

"The Power Rangers, the Pink Ranger, she disabled Cyclopsis." Lokar tried to improve the news. "The reactor is still safe, but it is a great distance from our protective barrier."

"Have Astronema see to the recovery." Zedd replied. His body far too weak to even be angered by this set back. Zedd had noticed these past months that his once great knowledge was passing away. When things had gone awry he had been lost for a time consumed by fear that his enemies would discover his weakness and destroy him. However, soon he began to realize why his knowledge was failing as he spent many days in thought, confined to his prison. The gift that had given him such great power had not given him foresight into the future, but had infused him with the history of time itself. Yet every event that he had altered had changed history, and as history was rewritten, each new anomaly had begun to generate its own subsequent anomalies and with each iteration the universe was becoming more chaotic. He could not let his servants discover this truth however, especially in his current state, and so allowed them to think he was merely bidding his time. He had realized what he needed was to use the knowledge he did still possess wisely so he still appeared to have mastery over all.

"I have a special mission for you." Zedd said.

"What is it my Lord?" Lokar asked.

"Go to the city of Reefside. There you will find a tree, an ancient tree that is feeding off a spring of mystical water. This water has the power to grant me life once again. Retrieve it for me."

"I will retrieve it at once my Lord." Lokar replied his spirits lifted. He bowed and left the room. Finally, his master would return to his former strength and then they would rule the Universe.

The alarm in the Command Center was sounding. Billy and Beta were working at the console trying to locate the source of the disturbance. An interdimensional gate was opening somewhere on Earth, but it was hard to locate the point of entry. Moments ago the energy surge had been detected as the dimensional fold had occurred, the origin being somewhere on the moon. What concerned Billy was that there was no evidence that anyone was trying to mask the energy signature. This was either a being without the ability to do so, or it was a trap.

"Got it, Reefside," Billy said, "Bringing up the visual."

The holo-display showed Lokar and a group of Putties emerging into a field, there was a large tree, and some buildings a short distance off. The Putties marched to the tree, taking direction from Lokar, and altering their hands to hooks began to lift the tree.

"What are they doing?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "But, whatever it is we better stop them. You two go ahead, I'm going to advise Kimberly, take care of one other thing, and then I'll meet you there. Remember, the 'Z' is their only weak spot, landing a blow anywhere else is useless."

Adam and Ashley nodded and teleported out.

"Work faster you miserable creatures!" Lokar demanded. He knew his power had been too limited to conceal his entry and it was only a matter of time before the Rangers responded. The others did not concern him as much as that traitor did. He knew too much about his Lord's army and what they possessed, not only that, but his abilities, amplified by the Power were beyond everyone's save his Lord, however he knew his master was in no position to fight with Green Ranger, at least not yet.

Adam and Ashley teleported in, after mere seconds to recover from their teleportation they rushed the Putties. Lokar had been prepared for this, and stretching his hand out caused several more Putties to rise from the ground. Caught off guard by the emergence of the new Putties Adam and Ashley jumped back and manifested their weapons. In a flash of black and yellow light their weapons were in hand and once again they charged. The Putties in turn formed twisted blades and hooks and charged in.

As Adam reached the first Putty he used his axe to parry its attack and spun swinging the axe straight into the chest. The blow shattered the chest sending magma spewing out, the liquid rock spraying on Adam's armor, which cooled and began to flake off. Ashley managed to dodge the incoming attack from her first assailant and plunged a dagger through its chest. Another Putty swung a bladed hand at her head, she managed to duck, the blade glancing off her helmet. She spun and struck with her other dagger. Her attack landed on the stomach, the rock surface sparking as the blade made contact. The Putty formed its hand into a mace and punched her in the head. Her helmet protected her, only a scuff on the surface, but the force of the impact sent her flying to the ground, tearing a portion of the grassy field up as she slid back. She recovered quickly and jumped to her feet.

Lokar was puzzled. There were only two Rangers here. He knew the pink one was still out in space, and as far as his Lord knew they had not found a new leader. In truth it was the first time he had seen these two Rangers, but where were the other two, where was the traitor? His thought was broken as the Blue Ranger teleported in and rushed him, lances out. Lokar launched a bolt of lightning as a reflex, but as it departed from him he realized the strain he was under was too great to make an effective attack. Billy blocked the bolt with his lances, the energy field of his weapons absorbing the lightning. Billy launched from the ground and landed a solid kick to Lokar's chest. Though Lokar had some protection from his dark magic he still reeled back and collided with the tree.

At the moment he touched it however, he became aware of the inherent power in the tree. Some of the spring's energy flowed through it. Even as he impacted into the tree his mind was elsewhere, already his dark powers were at work. He stood up from his assault, still keeping a hand on the tree.

"Attack him," he commanded the Putties.

The Putties let go of the tree and charged Billy. Billy realized Lokar was up to something important, and chose to bypass the Putties for the moment. He leapt into the air making an attack with his lances. Lokar however, had been strengthened by the energy in the tree and raised his other hand deflecting Billy with a large discharge of energy. There was a loud crack of thunder as Billy flew back, his armor charred, but still intact. He soared back and hit the side of one of the nearby buildings cracking the surface. With his momentum expended he fell to the ground landing in a crouch, one hand on the ground.

Adam and Ashley had managed to destroy a few more Putties, but there were still half a dozen now that Lokar had released the others who had been trying to rip up the tree.

"Billy you okay?" Ashley asked keeping her eyes on the Putties.

"Yeah," Billy replied, rising to his feet. "It's amazing how much punishment this armor can take."

Billy rushed in to join his friends as the Putties charged again. Adam swung his axe at the first charging Putty in an upward arc. Though the attack missed the chest it caught the Putty in the chin and sent it flying back. Ashley blocked an incoming attack with her daggers and kicked the Putty in the chest cracking it open. As it fell Ashley saw another flying through the air toward her. Billy saw it and threw one of his lances spearing it in the chest. Ashley just managed to dive out of the way as the mass of burning rock crashed into the ground. Billy ran in and grabbed his lance from the debris. In a single fluid movement he connected his lances to form a long double ended spear and thrust one end into a Putty's chest. With the sides evened up the Rangers each squared off against a Putty.

Suddenly the tree began to crackle with an ethereal blue flame, Lokar stepped back. The tree uprooted itself and began to transform, the trunk separating into a pair of legs keeping the roots as feet. The main body formed as branches twisted to spawn arms, the whole creature contorting into a gnarled, jagged form; the surface appearing as if the branches themselves were the flames of the fire which could be seen through the cracks and the eyes of the creature. The sky began to blacken as the dark energies unleashed began to concentrate. Shadows began to creep along the ground like hideous vines bringing a chill to the air. Even the mindless Putties had paused in the wake of this growing evil. The Rangers took advantage of this moment, though still focused on the new incarnation, and destroyed the remaining Putties.

Lokar smiled, for the first time since the Machine Empire attack he felt empowered, in control again. "So Rangers where is your green friend? I would hate for him to miss this." His voice was dark and chilling.

"He's around," Billy replied, not wanting to give the enemy any information, not that he knew much about Josh's whereabouts anyway.

"No matter," Lokar replied, "Whether he dies now or later, he will die."

The creature stepped forward leaving a spring bubbling up from where it had been planted. Lokar encased the waters into an orb, which proceeded to hover next to him.

"I have what I came for," he said, "I leave you now; savor what few moments you still have." In a flash of crimson light a gate appeared. Lokar walked through it and was gone. The creature charged sending twisted webs of branches out like spears.

Kimberly was approaching the atmosphere. Her power levels were down below ten percent. Her body was tired. Even with the power strengthening her it was exhausting staying one step ahead of the fighters which seemed relentless in their pursuit. As she entered the atmosphere she did her best to stay level, but could not stop weaving to avoid the incoming fire. Several fighters exploded on reentry attempting to hit her Zord while it was lacking maneuverability. A shot grazed the left wing causing the Zord to falter for a moment. Kimberly knew she couldn't do this much longer.

As Kimberly returned to Earth's atmosphere she detected incoming craft on her radar. She was uncertain as to what they could be, but she knew she did not have enough power to engage a new threat. She could barely make out the objects as they approached from below. Was it possible Zedd had forces operating on Earth after all? Her fears were alleviated as several F-15 fighters flew past her unleashing cannon fire into the Velocifighters. The Velocifighters, taken by surprise broke off as they took heavy losses, the few that remained scattering. Kimberly opened up a channel.

"Thanks for the rescue."

"Happy to help," came the reply over the com.

With her airspace free from danger Kimberly proceeded back to the hidden hanger, the F-15s finishing off the rest of the fighters, an easy task with the squadron broken.

Kimberly landed in the hanger and teleported back to the Command Center. As she walked into the room she was surprised to see that Billy and the other's weren't back yet, he had said it was only Lokar and a few Putties.

"Beta, locate the Rangers."

"Compliance, Ranger location, Reefside."

"Let me see."

"Bringing up visual."

The display came up. Kimberly wasn't sure what she was looking at in the twisted mass that the others were fighting, but she knew it was trouble. She wasn't sure what they could do to destroy it, without a Red Ranger they did not have the ability to form the Power Blaster.

"Beta, see if you can contact Josh, I'm teleporting."

"Affirmative."

Kimberly teleported out.

Astronema and a detachment of Quantrons stood guard around the fallen Zord, Velocifighters sat behind the established front line monitoring the skies, ready to launch at the first sign of trouble. Astronema was sealed in her battle suit. The black helmet topped with a leaf shaped guard that was rotated to one side, short blood red horns like serrated blades ran upward toward the back of the helmet's point and down the cheek line. Several dark crimson tendrils ran from the helmet nearly to the ground, the barbed ends twitching as if alive. The darkness was off set by the twin eyes that glowed with a pale yellow light. The rest of the suit was black, ornate with blood red fangs and claws that twisted out from her body, a jewel that shone with a dark light on the center of the chest. Several of the Quantrons were servicing Cyclopsis, working on the leg actuators as well as trying to connect the reactor to the Zord to restore power. This operation was going to take several hours if they were free from trouble, but with all the energy that had been unleashed during the attack Astronema was sure that the Machine Empire was on its way.

While they worked outside Goldar sat confined to the cockpit trying to remain calm. All remaining power had been diverted to life support. He could use his armor's life support to get out, but with so much of it drained away from his previous activity it would have meant returning to the Fortress. That would take away more time that they didn't have. If the Power Rangers had discovered their activity it was almost certain the Machine Empire had as well. Yet he was determined they would succeed despite this set back. The Machine Empire was too dependent on mechanization to last through this war. Required resources on the moon were nearly nonexistent, which meant that many destroyed forces had to be recycled. Hephaestus and his sorcery enhanced technology was the only reason the Machine Empire had lasted as long as it did. His army of Cogs that he had reanimated through his dark powers, the Legion Exanimus were among the only forces that truly had posed a threat since the war had reached this bitter struggle. Their crushed forms spurred on by unknown powers, like an army of undead. The only salvation against this onslaught had been the lack of Hephaestus' power to control more than a handful of these unrelenting warriors at once. The other threat had been from the diminishing air core of Quadrafighters matched only by their own Velocifighters. However, with their inexhaustible army of Putties the superiority of ground forces was uncontested, though with much of Lokar's magic sustaining Zedd and Zedd's power exhausted the numbers that could be maintained were far too small for a large scale assault. No matter, they would prevail; it was only a matter of time.

Kimberly materialized in the field where the Rangers were. The air was thick with a dark fog, making it difficult to see. However, the creature was visible; the sinister blue flame illuminating the fog around it. She wasted no time in rushing in, her bow manifesting in a flash of pink as she charged. The creature turned to face her, the face a twisted form like a tortured soul, the eyes burned with evil ethereal fire. It sent chills down Kimberly's spine, but still she continued forward. Without warning the creature began to wail, its howl like that of a banshee, the force threw Kimberly backward. As she spun through the air she managed to land one hand on the ground and pushed off springing back and landing on her feet. She fired off an arrow, like a shooting star it streaked through the fog illuminating it in a deep pink as it went. The shot impacted the twisted form splintering the body. However, just as she was feeling a sense of accomplishment the damage began to regenerate. Billy and the others jumped in to join her.

"It's no good," Billy said. "Whatever that tree was feeding off of has given it the ability to regenerate."

"So what do we do?" Kimberly asked.

More branches sprung forth like striking snakes, the Rangers scattered without breaking away from each other too much.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "We could try and form the Power Blaster without the sword."

"Can we use the Dragon Dagger instead?" Adam asked as he landed.

"We could try it," Billy began, dodging another wave of tendrils. "But with only the four of us here I don't know if we can generate enough power for an effective shot."

"Well I say we try it." Ashley said cart-wheeling out of the way of another attack.

"Yeah," Kimberly agreed.

The Ranger began to toss their weapons together as they continued to maneuver around the monster's attacks. Kimberly finished off the weapon by placing the Dragon Dagger on top, the matrix seemed to accept the weapon and it fused with the rest. With Kimberly supporting the weapon the rest of the Rangers formed up on her and fired. The creature attacked simultaneously and, having braced for the shot the Rangers were unable to avoid it. The tendrils hit with the force of a wrecking ball sending the Rangers flying back, their armor cracked, but still held. Kimberly was unaffected as the Dragon Shield absorbed the impact through the force still sent her sliding back on her feet. The discharge from their weapon flew at the creature, a spinning lance of multi-colored light. As it hit it bored into the monster shattering the outer covering and tearing through the softer interior.

The Rangers jumped to their feet recovering their weapons. As they peered through the fog to see the outcome of their attack they were terrified to see the beast still standing. Much of the body had been ripped away by the blast, but it was beginning to regenerate, and was still alive. Not wanting to lose the moment the Rangers jumped in attacking with their weapons, Kimberly using the Dragon Dagger. Their blows continued to land, but while the creature was not retaliating the damage they were doing was regenerating as fast as they could cause it.

Suddenly Kimberly's world flashed to white. She found herself in a field, a clearing in the middle of a forest; there was no sky, but only a white expanse. Light seemed to radiate off all things. Her clothes had changed. She wore a flowing gown of white covered with art in a rich pink which moved as if air where passing through it, yet she felt nothing. A pink shawl wrapped her arms. The emblem of the Pterodactyl engraved in gold was on the chest. Beyond her she could see a man dressed in green robes, the symbol of the Dragon in a gold emblem on his chest.

"Josh?" she asked confused by the circumstances.

"I'm here," Joshua replied walking toward her. His footfalls made no sound as he crossed the field and came to her.

"We need your help." She said frantically, "We can't beat this thing."

"Yes you can," he said reassuringly. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I can't do what you do," she protested, "I don't have the strength."

"Yes you can," his voice was strong yet caring, "It isn't about strength but about balance."

"What do you mean?"

"It's the principle of Tai Chi, the Yin and the Yang, balance is what is required to unleash your ultimate strength."

"I'm not you," she lowered her head. "I can't do what you can, it just isn't in me."

"You're wrong," he said lifting her head to look into her eyes. "Do you know where we are?"

"No," she said thinking about it for the first time. "But I need to get back, the others need me."

"It's alright." his words reassuring her. "This whole place exists in a single moment. No time is passing outside for as long as we stay here."

"I don't understand," she said.

"This is your inner world, the place inside you, you can call it your mind, your soul, but this is where you are the real you."

"I don't get why we're here though."

"You've actually had this happen plenty of times."

"When?"

"Have you ever had a moment when things just made sense in an instant?"

"Of course."

"This is exactly what that is, though the conscious mind can never process it, so we are left with the understanding from an event we can only remember in our dreams."

"I guess that makes a little sense, so are you saying I won't remember this?"

"Only in your subconscious." Josh tried to get back to the subject. "Look at what you are wearing."

Kimberly looked over her gown, the white silk with many designs in pink embroidered on it. The most distinct were a dragon, a fiery bird, and a crane. Throughout the design were curved lines like wisps of air.

"What is all this?" She asked.

"You're true self." Josh replied. She looked puzzled. "The dragon is a symbol of strength or power, the phoenix is perseverance, the crane is grace and agility, and the wind flows throughout, gentle and soothing yet swift and powerful. This is your true self, and that's why I know you can do this because it is in you, it is who you are."

Kimberly blushed, "So what am I suppose to understand from all this?"

"Follow me," Joshua said taking her hand. Joshua guided her through the forest to a river; it looked like glass, so still, as if not even moving. Joshua picked up a small twig from the ground and cast it into the water. The ripple went outward in all directions, yet the flow of the water swept away the ripples and the twig leaving a calm glass like surface once again.

"Balance," Josh began again, "the ability to meet brute force with a gentle touch. The water is fluid and does not meet the force of the stick with the same force as it would if it were solid. Instead the water cradles the stick and when the stick's energy is expended sufficiently it is redirected."

"But how do you do that when you are attacking?"

"When you fight, you have an aura created by the… well you know it as the Morphing Grid. This flow of power interacts with the flow of evil or good energy in others. It is possible to take the resistance your opponent uses against your attacks and redirect it."

"But you've had years of training, how can I..."

Joshua interrupted her, "I know, but you can do this. You have the ability, you have the power you just need guidance."

"But…"

"Just go," he said his grip on her hand becoming firm. "I'm here with you, I'll guide you."

Kimberly's world melted away. She tried to resist, but suddenly realized it was futile and allowed herself to be carried back. As time resumed her mind shifted. The event passed from her memory, leaving only the understanding of what she needed to do. She paused for a moment reaching out with her other senses, as she did she could almost see the flow of energies between herself and the monster. She could see the energy that resisted their attacks, but it pulsated with each attack. Kimberly knew what to do, she struck with her fist, but as the energy forced its way out to resist she moved with it drawing in strength from the aura as if pulling it back like a bow string. As the aura collapsed she thrust her attack back in, she could feel the power swell. As her fist impacted, the frame of the creature seemed to collapse, the body melting away, the force rippled through the body splintering the entire side of the monster. The other Rangers stopped in total shock as the creature peeled away from the point of impact exposing the ethereal fire that burned within.

Kimberly did not know why, but she knew what to do. Manifesting her bow she drew the Dragon Dagger back, then like a whisper in her ear she could hear Joshua's voice, "You can do it." She let the dagger fly. A streak of green energy surrounded by ribbons of pink flew out and struck the heart of the fire. With a shriek the fire was extinguished. The wooden husk left from the body collapsed, the dagger embedded in the wood. Slowly the fog began to clear.

Billy walked forward and pulled out the Dragon Dagger from the gnarled mass. He walked forward and handed it to Kimberly, who, despite the helmet covering most of her facial expression seemed as shocked as the rest of them. Adam and Ashley joined them.

"How did you manage that?" Billy asked.

"I don't even know how to explain it." She said. "But somehow Josh helped me. Somehow I just knew what to do."

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"Do you mean when he gave you his powers he gave you this ability?" Adam asked.

"No," Billy replied. "Josh's ability to strike his opponent with such force is not the result of his Powers, but his extreme discipline in the marital arts."

"I don't get it." Ashley said.

"It's all about balance." Kimberly said, without really even understanding herself.

"What?" Adam was confused.

Billy took over the explanation, "When we fought Joshua a year ago as the Green Ranger he was able to devastate our bodies and armor in only a few blows. It wasn't that the Green Ranger power is so far above our own…"

"Isn't the Green Rangers power greater though?" Adam interrupted.

"Yes," Billy began again. "But the ability Joshua has to decimate his opponents comes from years of training in Tai Chi. He tried to teach me once, but I just don't have the muscle control he does. I suspect Kimberly was able to because of her gymnastic abilities and the greater control she has over her muscles."

"Well whatever," Ashley said putting her arm around Kimberly, "that was really great."

"Thanks," she replied. It was strange she had always been part of the team, but she never really considered herself strong. With Rita she had overcome a few things, flying a plane when Rita interfered with her Uncle was a new experience, but she had some flight experience from using her Zord. Yet now in a single day she had slowed Zedd down and destroyed a monster. It was a little overwhelming. She tried to focus. She couldn't let her success get her overly confident.

"I still don't get it either," Adam began, "but good job Kim, with that and the thing on the moon."

Kimberly smiled, the only expression that the armor would show through the liquid metal mouth piece.

"We better get back to the Command Center," Billy said, the four Rangers teleported out.

As the four rematerialized in the Command Center Billy proceeded to the console and started to access something. As he was doing so the Rangers powered down, their armor dematerialized, their bodies reverting to their natural states.

"I want you to take a look at this." He said.

The other Rangers gathered around.

"I found a solution to our previous Zord problem that I am already implementing." Billy replied as he punched a few buttons. "Josh was right when he pointed out that the Dragon Warrior Zord made no use of Pterodactyl. At the same time that Zord is the only one capable of making it to the moon unaided. So I figured out a way to merge the Pterodactyl with the Dragon Warrior to create the Sky Dragon Mega Zord."

The image appeared on the holo-projector, the Pterodactyl was attached to the back of the Dragon Warrior Zord giving it a fearsome wingspan. The tail was still in place for added guidance in flight, the Dragon Shield, which was formed from the chest plate of the Dragon Zord was on the left arm, the Power Sword was in the right hand enhanced by the burning plasma from Dragon Zord.

"That is awesome," Ashley said.

"When will it be ready?" Adam asked.

"Modifications to the other Zords are complete, but it will take a few hours to finish refitting the Pterodactyl and recharging it. Then we can go after Cyclopsis at full strength."

"This is going to be cutting it close." Adam replied.

"Then we should get started now." Kimberly said.

"The computer was already set to take care of the upgrade and recharging when you returned." Billy replied.

"So what do we do in the mean time?" Ashley asked.

"We wait," Billy replied.

Lokar marched into Zedd's throne room triumphantly, while others had failed, he had prevailed. Finally his master would be restored. The orb containing the spring's waters followed him closely.

"I have succeeded my Master." Lokar announced.

"Excellent," Zedd replied, his voice sounding stronger with only the news of his success. "Now place the waters into the tank so these machines can fill my body with its power."

Lokar complied, opening the tank containing the vital concoctions that were sustaining his Dark Lord he added the water to the mixture. He waited. At first nothing happened; then ever so slightly he began to see a change. Zedd's eyes began to burn brighter, the flame gradually being restored.

Billy was hard at work in his workshop, a small set of consoles that tied into the automated manufacturing and repair bay systems that existed in the Zord hangers and in the Command Center. Behind him several Cog heads lined a counter, the cables from the memory downloads still attached to a few of them. Three separate consoles were around him in a semi-circle providing him with data and visuals as he input parameters and made modifications to his latest project. The battle with the tree creature had made him realize that they were in serious trouble with Josh gone and still being a Ranger short. He needed to give them an edge, something new to enhance their combat abilities.

Ashley noticed Billy was working on something, with nothing else to occupy her time she thought maybe she could help.

"Can I do anything to help?"

"Not at the moment," he replied, distracted by his work.

"What are you working on?"

"Some new weapons so we don't have a repeat of what happened earlier today with Lokar's little creation."

"Well it was the first time Adam or I actually had to face any of Zedd's army, I'm sure we'll do better next time."

Billy caught her implication. "It wasn't you or Adam, you two did great. That monster was just really powerful and with Josh gone and the team incomplete I think it would be good to have a trump card, just in case."

"Seemed like Kimberly provided that today,"

"She certainly did, but it would be better if none of us had to be totally dependant on any one person. If Zedd ever does attack Earth we could be spread out on multiple fronts and some new equipment might give us the edge we need."

"So what are these new weapons?"

"Well I can show you what I have so far."

Meanwhile Kimberly was in the main chamber looking over the sensor logs. Beta had been unable to contact Joshua while they were away, but what had concerned her was that sensor sweeps had found no trace of him anywhere. His communicator was not sending a signal, or if it was it was being blocked. The system was capable of interdimensional scanning, but so far nothing had turned up. The teleporter data had his last known location somewhere in a forested mountainous region of Japan, but all scans of the area had found nothing, it seemed the entire area was uninhabited. This whole process was slowed by the fact that most of the power was diverted to the Zord bays and monitoring the moon for any activity around Cyclopsis.

Adam was watching the monitors intently looking for any indication that the salvage operation was progressing. None of them was sure how long the enemy needed to recover from their previous interference, but the Zords were still not ready, then there was the trip to get there. Kimberly had stopped Cyclopsis approximately two hundred fifteen kilometers from Zedd's Fortress. However, if they got the Zord operational too soon it could make their efforts to stop Zedd futile. Yet at the same time he couldn't help but think about the incident in Reefside. He had known Josh was an expert at several forms of martial arts, he was well known in the martial arts community, but Adam had never witnessed the full extent of his abilities. He was wishing he had been a little bolder in talking to Josh about teaching him another form to compliment his Kung Fu, now it would have to wait until he returned. He just couldn't figure out Josh, he had seemed so distant, but as he was leaving he had seemed so much more open than he had in months, maybe he really did just need to figure things out for himself. Still what could have been so important that he had kept it to himself?

"Hey, Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"Any luck finding Josh?"

"Nothing," she sighed, "I've looked through all the logs twice and I haven't found a thing. Just his last teleportation coordinates."

"Maybe you should go there and check it out?"

She considered it for a moment, "No," she paused for a moment. Then she turned and walked over sitting down in the chair next to Adam. "The location is in the middle of nowhere. I don't think he wanted anyone to follow him."

"But he's never been fast to ask for help though," Adam said.

"True, but he's never refused it before either. I dunno," she sighed leaning her head back staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sure wherever he is he's safe."

Kimberly smiled, "Thanks, you know it's funny. I was worried when he first left, especially when the symbol on the Dragon Shield changed, but ever since the fight with that tree monster I've been feeling better, almost like he really isn't even gone." Even as she said it she realized that she had forgotten about the icon change on the Dragon Shield, it really didn't matter anymore though.

Adam wasn't quiet sure what she meant about the shield, he wanted to ask, but at that moment the alarm went off as a new threat was detected. The sensors indicated several objects were moving toward Cyclopsis position, moving quickly. Adam leapt out of his seat to reach the console.

"What's going on?" Billy asked as he and Ashley rushed in.

"Quadrafighters, about a dozen of them, they're moving to attack Cyclopsis." Adam replied. Suddenly there was a massive discharge of energy detected and the fighters vanished from the sensors.

"What happened?" Kimberly asked.

Billy raced to the console and looked over the data. "Something's not right. That blast came from the Dark Fortress, Astronema's mobile star base, but it had been inactive since the war started we had assumed it was out of power."

"Looks like something changed." Adam said.

"Did they get the reactor back to the Fortress?" Ashley asked.

"No," Adam replied, "It's still there."

"I don't like the implications," Billy said as he began entering new commands to the central computer, "I'm shutting down all systems that are not completely vital." The lights began to dim, several consoles went dark. "I routed all available power to Pterodactyl's hanger, until recharging it complete."

"How long will that be?" Ashley asked.

"Ten minutes." Billy replied.

"If it was going to speed things up that much why didn't you do it sooner?" Kimberly asked.

"Because, when I said I shut down everything that wasn't complete vital it meant taking our morphers offline as well as the teleporter."

"What about Josh?" Ashley asked.

"I left his online, but it doesn't appear to be in use." Billy replied. "This is not something to be done lightly either, with the extra power it could damage the systems in both the hanger and the Zord, but something tells me it's worth the risk, I can't explain it logically."

"So what is it that's got you so worried?" Adam asked.

"If the Dark Fortress now has power it means something drastic has changed, possibly meaning that Zedd has managed to reestablish contact with outside forces again. Ultimately it's that Zedd's forces seem to be growing stronger, so I'm worried that this war is about to end. And I don't have to tell you what that could mean for us and the Earth."

The Rangers stood watching the display contemplating what Billy had said and what the future could soon hold in store for them.

Zedd was on his feet, many of the plates had been stripped away and replaced by his armor save the few needed to circulate the elixir through his body. His eyes were once again ablaze with the evil fire that gripped his minions in terror. His unarmored upper body radiated with strength, the sinewy mass was like stone. He could feel his power returning, yet he was disturbed. For over a year he had sat confined to his throne unable to act on his own power. Yet in all that time, despite the lack of contact his Empire had sent no one, no forces as aide since the day he fell in battle. Long had he been suspicious of what had been going on in his Empire, yet all attempts at communication had been thwarted. As his power returned though he began to sense something out of balance in his Empire, and he needed to discover what had happened.

Lokar entered, accompanied by Scorpina and Ecliptor. The three knelt before Zedd.

"What do you require of us my Lord?" Lokar asked.

"Soon I will attend to the last remnants of the Machine Empire," Zedd's voice tore through their souls. To Lokar this feeling of terror was refreshing. "I want you to return to my Empire and see what has happened in my absence. My strength is still returning and my mind is clouded, so I am sending you to discover the truth for me."

"At once my Lord," Lokar replied. The three rose to their feet and proceeded to march out of the main hall. The end was finally at hand.

The power returned to the Command Center, the Zord preparations complete, the Pterodactyl had been recharged. There had been a surge or two in the process, but fortunately none of the Zord's systems had been damaged. It would seem that fortune was on their side for the moment. Billy looked around the room, the four of them had stood there solemnly since the power had been rerouted; each thinking about their future and what would be required of them in the coming fights. Adam and Ashley were still inexperienced. Beyond Lokar's incursion to Earth they had never faced their enemy. Billy and Kimberly, while experienced had lived through the horror of Green Ranger's brief campaign against them. While they had never fought Zedd it was inconceivable that Green Ranger was more powerful, and they had only defeated him through chance, a lucky blow that freed him from evil. The foes they were about to face were not slaves to darkness, but in fact were its willing servants. Each of them wore a look of concern on their faces, each one knew they might not come back from this, but they had accepted this when they became Rangers, and were not prepared to back down now.

"It's time," Billy said.

"Then let's morph." Kimberly said an unusual confidence in her voice despite its gentleness.

The others nodded and pulled out their morphers. Each called on the ancient embodiment of their power, the morphers opened as the power surged forth transforming their bodies, cladding them in armor, Kimberly's Dragon Shield formed, engraved with the icon of the Pterodactyl. Billy noticed the icon change for the first time, but said nothing. Without a word they nodded to one another and teleported out rematerializing on the shore of Angel Grove. Kimberly pulled out the Dragon Dagger and began to play the flute carved into the weapon. The haunting melody carried a sense of power that was almost out of place. She finished with the tune, the four of them looking out onto the ocean. In the distance a swell was beginning to form as the massive form of the Dragon Zord raced toward the shore. Ashley and Adam stood in awe as the torrent built, the wake disrupting the waves that were forming naturally. This may have been frightening to those who had seen the Dragon Zord emerge over a year ago during the Green Ranger's attack, and though it was still unsettling to some, the two surviving Rangers had vouched for Joshua at the U.N. meeting to discuss the threat of Lord Zedd's arrival. Joshua had alleviated some fears regarding his loyalty when he willingly divulged all he knew about Zedd and his army. Since that day the armies of the world had prepared for the invasion, even to the extent of placing hundreds of satellites in orbit with nuclear payloads. This recent action by the Rangers had already set many commands on high alert as it had been a long time since the Rangers had last employed their Zords at all.

As Dragon Zord entered shallower water it suddenly sprang out of the ocean landing on all fours on the rocky cliffs above the beach. The ground shook as it landed; a sound like thunder rang out. The Dragon Zord rose on its hind legs and stood silently waiting for a command. The Rangers now called forth their own Zords. The air ionized as Triceratops, Mammoth, and Sabretooth Tiger were transported close to the site. In the distant mountains the Pterodactyl soared, racing toward their location.

As the other Rangers leapt to their Zords Kimberly began to play a new melody, the information uploaded to her mind when she morphed making it seem a natural reaction. The heavenly melody danced on the air like flames. Dragon Zord began to transform. With her first task complete Kimberly leapt to her Pterodactyl and prepared for docking.

Dragon Zord retracted its arms and folded its side torsos inward shielding the body, the chest piece hovering in front of the assembly. The feet tucked away revealing connection points which Triceratops and Sabretooth Tiger locked into forming the legs and feet. Mammoth broke apart and formed the arms as well as added armor to the rear torso. The Pterodactyl flew in tucking its head away and locked onto the hard points on the Dragon Zord and Mammoth. The Rangers were pulled from their cockpits and brought to the master control chamber located safely in the chest. The Dragon's mouth opened revealing the warrior's face, the shield attached to the left arm, the Power Sword sheathed in the shield. People had begun to gather at a safe distance to watch the spectacle.

"Sky Dragon Mega Zord sequence complete," Billy said looking over the panel. "Looks like everything checks out, let's go."

The Rangers locked their hands into the controls. A colored liquid metal covered their hands interfacing with their armor.

"This is a little weird," Kimberly warned.

As the controls completed the interface each Ranger felt a sudden acceleration as their consciousness was drawn into the collective of the Zord's control system. Their vision went dark.

"This is strange," Adam thought.

"I warned you." Kimberly replied.

"How did she know what I was thinking?" Adam asked.

Billy interrupted. "This is a synaptic interface, our collective consciousness is used to control the Zord in real-time and to make it easier to work as a team."

"What?" Ashley asked.

"It reads your mind," Kimberly replied.

"So you know everything I'm thinking?" Ashley asked.

"No," Billy reassured her, "Only what you consciously think. Actually what we hear is your internal monologue."

"My what?" Ashley asked.

"The voice in your head when you're thinking to yourself." Kimberly thought.

The visuals came online, they all were now seeing through the eyes of the Sky Dragon Mega Zord. Ashley and Adam were unaccustomed to this and spent a moment looking out at their hands trying to find their balance in the midst of this. The Zord moved accordingly, like a child discovering things for the first time. It was a new experience as the Zords used a completely different interface when separate, but a collective was necessary to facilitate the combined efforts of this many individuals to control a single Zord.

"So how does this work?" Adam asked.

"The Zord reads our input and acts accordingly." Billy replied.

"What if we're all thinking something different?" Ashley asked.

"The Zord uses its own onboard AI to choose the best decision."

"Doesn't that slow us down?" Adam asked.

"A little," Billy said. "But not as much as you might think, while our Zords do react quickly the electronic components are significantly slower at taking action than our minds can process, even the AI is faster than the system. Plus the Zord does have reflexes like we do that aide in response without our input. Not to mention that things happen in here much faster than you expect, while the Zord was bringing up the optics we experienced nearly a minute passing, but actually less than a few seconds passed."

"Sounds complicated." Ashley replied.

"What happens is, I don't really understand it," Kimberly replied. "But I think you'll see that all that stuff Billy mentioned makes it very easy to actually do things."

"Well we might as well go then," Adam thought.

"Yeah, this isn't going to get less weird anytime soon." Ashley added.

Kimberly laughed, she had thought the same thing the first time, and even though it had been a while since they last formed a Mega Zord she enjoyed the feeling, the closeness of the collective matrix. With nothing left to discuss the Sky Dragon Mega Zord spread its enormous wings, the turbines enhanced to handle the shear power output of the Mega Zord began to glow white hot. In a blast of force the Zord shot into the sky the cheers from the people spurring them on.

Joshua stood in a dark place, the only visible light radiated from the Reitsuken in his hands and the four flaming swords which illuminated the faces of the terrible creatures which held them. Ninjor's total concentration was spent in maintaining the barrier around Joshua, one strike from those swords and Joshua would be lost forever, they could not be allowed to land a blow, not now when they were so close.

Lord Zedd marched out of his fortress, his body encased in his fearsome armor swirling with the souls condemned to an existence of servitude in protecting their conqueror, his double bladed sword sheathed on his back. As Zedd passed from the barrier another barrier formed around his body providing him with what little air he needed to breathe. As he cleared the fortress barrier Zedd shot forward like lighting arriving where Cyclopsis was lying in mere moments.

"Astronema," Zedd summoned her.

"Yes my Lord, how…?" Astronema was lost for a moment. Last she had been in Zedd's presence he was confined to his life sustaining prison. Now without explanation he stood before her seemingly fully recovered. It took her off guard in so many ways. But there was no doubt it was her Lord, the vileness she felt from his telepathic intrusion into her mind was known well to her. Recovering her thoughts she knelt. "My Lord, how may I serve you?"

"Go and retrieve your Dark Fortress, then return and collect the reactor and install it in Serpentera instead." Zedd turned to face the Zord as Astronema bounded off to one of the Velocifighters on standby. "Goldar, return to the Fortress we will retrieve your Zord later."

"Yes my Lord." Goldar exited the cockpit delighted that his master had returned; soon he would again bathe in the blood of his enemies. He drifted to the ground and made his way to another fighter. Astronema was already lifting off. As Goldar was preparing to launch he could see Zedd walking toward Cyclopsis. With no more than a gesture Zedd forced the Zord on to its side leaving the reactor exposed. Goldar had seen Zedd's strength in battle before, but he had nearly forgotten in the year his Lord had sat helpless, indeed it was only a matter of time now until they ruled the Universe. As Goldar was lifting off the sensors detected a massive object approaching fast, it was a Zord.

The Sky Dragon Mega Zord descended on the reactor. As it descended the Zord drew its sword the blade erupting into star fire as it was released.

"Nice of them to leave it out in the open." Kimberly thought.

"Let's just take it out and go." Adam thought.

"Agreed," Billy replied. "No sense fighting more than we need to."

The Zord swung its right arm back as it dove at the reactor. Zedd saw them coming and pulled his weapon as he leapt onto the reactor. Goldar was already circling back around to assist. Zedd raised his weapon as if to block, the burning Dragon Sword flew down like a comet and made contact. There was a brilliant explosion of light that blinded Goldar and the onboard sensors of the Zord.

"Did we do it?" Ashley asked.

"I think we got Zedd and the reactor." Adam replied.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kimberly thought.

"The forward shields seem to be holding," Billy replied. "I think we'll be alright."

Goldar's vision began to clear as the blinding light subsided. Had it not been for the UV shield in the cockpit windows he may have been blinded. Yet as he looked he could hardly believe his eyes. Zedd still was standing holding the Zord's weapon at bay with this own twin saber; the Zord still bearing down, and yet having no success in breaking through Zedd's defense.

"Are you kidding me!" Adam's mind screamed.

"What do we do now?" Kimberly asked.

"Joshua," Ninjor's voice called out through the void.

"I know," Joshua said as he swung the Reitsuken decapitating one of the creatures. "I felt it too."

"What shall we do?"

"Go," Joshua replied, "I can make it on my own here."

"Are you certain?" Ninjor asked.

"If they die then this was all for nothing." Joshua replied. He turned to face the remaining three monsters, it had been hard enough to kill that one with Ninjor's protection, he wasn't sure how he was going to defeat the remaining three if he left, but their lives were more important.

The stalemate continued for a moment. Zedd may have regained his strength, but he was no fool, he was gauging the power of his opponent. Content with the knowledge that they could not destroy him Zedd parried their weapon to one side nearly tearing it and the hand that was gripping it from the Zord.

"His power levels can't even be measured!" Billy was shocked.

"Damage to the right hand, effectiveness reduced to thirteen percent!" Ashley reported.

"This is not possible!" Adam replied.

"Josh, where are you?" Kimberly thought quietly.

Zedd brought his sword through an arc off his parry preparing to assault the Zord's now unprotected chest. As the sword fell an explosion of energy appeared between the Zord and Zedd, it radiated out like lighting. Suddenly a figure appeared within the storm, a warrior, nearly Zord size, his armor appeared like a stylized ninja variant of the armor the Rangers wore, but the head was incased in a red samurai helmet and mask emblazed with flames. His weapon, which appeared to be a very plain ninja combat sword was held in place pushing against the wave of energy Zedd's attack had generated. In an act of sheer will Ninjor managed to disperse the energy. In the brief moment that he had Ninjor reached out with his left hand and pushed the Sky Dragon off the moon with such force that the Zord reached escape velocity.

"Run!!!" Ninjor's message echoed in their minds, his voice like an entire world shouting in unison.

The Rangers watched unsure of what to do next, Ninjor turned to face Zedd. Zedd twirled his sword and attacked.


	3. Chapter 3

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-3-

Ninjor dove out of the path of Zedd's attack returning to normal size to aid his movement, as he did so his helmet reverted to its normal state. Zedd wasted no time in lunging at Ninjor, who had rolled into a crouch and brought his sword up just in time to block. As the weapons connected the energies from the light and dark auras became visible, the discharge arcing off the weapons. Ninjor managed to push himself to his feet, his blade still holding against Zedd's. With a sudden burst Ninjor managed to push Zedd back and launched a kick to his head. Zedd made no attempt to evade as the blow landed against his helmet. As he made contact Ninjor's mind was ripped apart as the shrieks of billions of souls echoed in his mind. In his agony Ninjor dropped his weapon and cradled his head falling to his knees. Zedd held back, content for the moment to watch his suffering.

"We have to help him." Billy thought.

"But he told us to run." Adam replied. "We already know our weapons can't overpower him."

"But we can't just leave him." Ashley thought.

"You need to run,"

"Who was that?" Billy asked.

"Just run,"

"Josh?" Kimberly asked, but the voice was gone. "I think we should go."

Reluctantly the Mega Zord turned toward the Earth and began its return. Zedd watched it go. Ninjor was struggling to get to his feet.

"You only delayed their deaths," Zedd's voice ripped through Ninjor's weakened mind.

"Maybe," Ninjor replied his weakness apparent. "But as long as they're alive there is still hope."

Ninjor summoned his strength; grabbing his sword he rushed Zedd. Zedd twirled his sword as he sidestepped Ninjor's attack. Ninjor wasted no time in repositioning his feet and spinning around swinging his sword, but Zedd was already poised to block. Zedd rolled off Ninjor's blade and swung his sword. Ninjor jumped, flipping over Zedd, narrowly evading his strike. With Zedd's back to him Ninjor extended his right arm, sword outstretched toward the back of Zedd's neck. Zedd brought his sword over his head, the blade extending down his back blocking the attack. Zedd spun off his block and slashed Ninjor across the chest, the blade tearing through his armor. Ninjor staggered back as Zedd's sword licked at his very soul. Ninjor refocused and formed a hand sign, his body melted into the ground. In an instant ten Ninjors emerged from the ground all around Zedd. In a fury of flashing blades the Ninjors assaulted Zedd. Zedd however managed to block the attacks and dispatched three of the clones, their bodies flying apart in a spray of sand. Ninjor formed another hand sign. His doppelgangers swirled like a whirlwind around Zedd, their blades striking out seemingly at random and at great speed. Zedd managed to block a few attacks, however many attacks slipped past his defenses and hit his armor. The armor seemed to shriek with each strike as red lighting arced out, but it appeared undamaged. Zedd grew tired of this parlor trick and plunged his sword into the ground the shockwave from the energy released sent Ninjor flying back and destroyed the remaining clones. The ground cratered under the impact.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with your weak deceptions?" Zedd mused.

Ninjor did not reply, but rushed forward once more. Their swords met in another brilliant discharge of power. Ninjor focused as he spun and swept Zedd's leg. As he made contact with the armor he braced his mind against the tortured souls trapped within, it helped, but the pain still rang in his mind. Yet he pulled through and knocked Zedd off balance, though he did not send him to the ground.

As Zedd struggled to regain his balance Ninjor rose and struck, his blade slashing across Zedd's chest. Even with this advantage the armor still held in defiance of Ninjor's attack. Zedd lashed forward with his free hand, Ninjor braced to block, but the shear force sent him flying back.

As he landed on his feet poised to retaliate Ninjor realized that this battle was almost certainly lost. However, there was one technique that could at least give the Rangers a little more time. Ninjor rose to his feet and steeled his mind against his enemy. As he focused his sword began to burn with a white flame. Ninjor charged, his sword raised by his head paralleling his line of sight. Zedd's sword pierced Ninjor's chest as he charged, but Ninjor did not stop, even as the blade tore through him he continued to rush forward and in a final thrust forced his blade through the gap between Zedd's helmet and neck guard causing his head and shoulders to burst into a coruscating flame. The two both fell to their knees releasing their weapons. Ninjor felt a sense of relief as he pulled Zedd's sword from his chest; the blade was embedded down to the hilt, the claws and teeth around the blade gripping to his armor. As it was torn out Ninjor could feel the weapon trying to drink in his essence.

"You'll not devour me today," Ninjor said casting the weapon aside.

Then Ninjor saw Zedd reach up and pull the sword from his neck, the flames extinguishing. Zedd cast Ninjor's weapon aside and, with outstretched hand called his own sword. He rose to his feet and kicked Ninjor over. Zedd stood over his prone body.

"Now your soul and your power belong to me old man." Zedd mused.

"They will never be yours." Ninjor replied. He brought his hands over his chest forming another hand sign.

Zedd plunged his sword through Ninjor's head. The wide blade split the helmet, the two halves falling away, yet the helmet was empty. The rest of the armor began to crack, shattering into thousands of pieces, no more than an empty shell. So Ninjor had already passed on, it did not matter, he had a war to end and an Empire to resume control of.

Lokar and his bodyguard emerged on the world of Thanos, the capital of Zedd's Empire. Once it had been a place of great advancement and discovery. Now it was nothing more than a shadow of things past. The Thanosians had been relocated to another planet in the system, which was barely habitable. This world had been converted into a Forge World, an entire planet dedicated to the production of Zedd's great war-machines and weapons. The world of Thanos was now covered with monolithic structures that reached to the sky like the arms of a dying man. Darkness enveloped the planet, as if the evil itself had become manifest. The streets were lined with gothic forms of Lord Zedd, some testaments to the power he possessed and the world he had subjugated. The three proceeded; their forms cloaked in black robes. Lokar knew this was his master's Empire however the time of silence had left him with a sense of foreboding that he was certain his master had also sensed, hence the reason for their task. Lokar was determined to assess the situation before revealing his presence. Ecliptor and Scorpina followed closely behind him prepared to defend as needed, yet trying not to draw attention by their poise.

As they walked down the streets the other beings who called this dreary world home gave them room. As hard as Lokar tried, he could not mask the aura that seemed to ooze from his being and his associates, the others could sense the taint of billions of souls on them. Even in a place of such intense evil their presence was obvious to even the most evil of creatures. Lokar realized they would need another way to go about this. Motioning to his followers the three turned down an alley.

"It appears that no matter where we go we stand out," Ecliptor mused.

"This is not amusing to me," Lokar replied. "Have you forgotten our task?" He turned to Scorpina. "You may be the only one whose soul does not bear the blood of countless billions."

"I've killed my share," she replied defensively.

"I do not have time for your ego," Lokar snapped. "You have not been here from the beginning, wiping entire civilizations from the face of existence. I believe my power can shield you. In addition my dear you are unknown to the Empire. It makes sense to send you, recruit as you have need and discover the reasons behind the Empire's silence these past months."

Scorpina nodded and departed into the darkness.

Zedd stood before the giant clockwork fortress, the flagship of the Machine Empire. The enormous construct had sunk into the surface of the moon, the massive gears still rotating as if the ship itself was a living machine. All around the ship were the remaining warships of Mondo's fleet; many had been stripped to the skeletal frame, the materials used to maintain the Machine Empire's ever diminishing army. Even now the bodies of many Cogs lay across the pale field, their frames twisted and contorted, exposed circuitry and wired hung lose from their frames. It disgusted Zedd that such a feeble military had held his down for nearly a year, yet at the same time it made Zedd confident that even the full might of the Machine Empire could not stand against the fraction of his military that was currently stationed here to take Earth. This was a set back to his plans as new forces would have to be called forth to replace those lost in the long war, but those matters could be dealt with after he ended this.

As he stepped forward he felt something grasp his foot, looking down he saw one of the Cog's hands gripping his armor boot. He kicked it off sending it flying, the arm tearing the few wires that still held it to the body, it landed a few meters away sending up quick spray of dust as it landed. Then ever so subtly the other Cogs began to move, their mangled forms began to rise to their feet. Zedd stood with quiet amusement; this must be the Legion Exanimus he had heard of, which meant he must be nearby. The Cogs began to rush forward, dripping hydraulic fluid and oil, like mechanical zombies. Zedd swept his sword though several of the Cogs rending them in half. Their shattered bodies fell to the ground. Even as they hit Zedd could feel the vibrations in the ground, he was coming, and he was huge. Zedd slashed through the remaining Cogs. In the corner of the Palace, still concealed in shadow, a large Zord-sized creature stood watching Zedd.

Zedd stood waiting for him to come forth, but the monster made no movement, suddenly Zedd became aware that the Cogs were rising again from the ground like puppets on stings their bodies floated up, wires whipped and twisted from their bodies reconnecting them. As their feet touched the ground they rushed forward again. Clearly more force would be needed.

Zedd's blade ripped an arc through the void tearing through several Cogs sending shrapnel and a flurry of sparks across the desolate Moonscape; the impact of his weapon reducing the Cogs to nothing more than scattered debris. He whirled his weapon again dispatching the rest of his attacker and reducing their bodies to scrap. The creature now moved, the massive footfalls shaking the ground, emerging from the shadows and stopping before Zedd.

Hephaestus, at a loss to reanimate what was left of his Cogs, stood towering over Zedd. His Zord sized form was like that of a monstrous twisted centaur, the lower body housing the factory, huge pistons pumped as his internals built more Cogs and warriors for the Machine Empire. The upper body looked like some hideous skeletal goblin, tubes and cables running all over the body connecting systems that were housed in the skeletal structure of the upper body. The eyes glared with a cold mechanical blue. In his hands he carried a staff with a fusion blade on both ends, the white flames racing over the surface of the blades like chainsaw teeth.

"It's difficult to reanimate scrap isn't it?" Zedd mocked. Yet as he dug into the creature's mind he could sense something, barely perceived, Finster was still alive in there. He was interrupted as Hephaestus swung his weapon, Zedd blocked with his sword, staving off the attack he probed into the monster's subconscious.

What Zedd found amused him. King Mondo's system of control was nothing impressive. Finster wasn't a conscious part of this machine, though his mind was fused with it, it was enslaved to the AI onboard allowing the machine to access Finster's limited magic. If the AI was destroyed then Finster would be the dominate force in this fearsome housing. Zedd forced Hephaestus's blade up with such force that the massive machine staggered. Seizing the moment Zedd leapt from the ground and buried his sword in the left temple of the creature's head. There was a massive discharge of energy that coursed over Zedd to no effect. Hephaestus's eyes went dark, the front knee joints giving way as the massive machine collapsed. Zedd stepped down from the wreckage.

Zedd reached out to summon a minion, "Astronema,"

"Yes my Lord," Astronema replied.

"Come and collect Hephaestus, have him refitted with a new AI loyal to me, and reconfigure the manufacturing bay for Quantrons, Putties, and my horrid creations."

"Yes my Lord, right away."

Zedd approached the doors to Mondo's fortress. With a wave of his hand the doors were ripped open and cast into the void of space. Zedd entered the fortress.

Goldar noticed Astronema giving orders to her minions to prepare the Dark Fortress for launch. He was interested to see what was going on, having spent many frustrating hours in the Zord cockpit had left him craving bloodshed, even if it had to be the fluids of the Machine Empire. He approached Astronema.

"Are we going to battle?" Goldar asked his eagerness apparent.

"No," Astronema sighed. "Our Lord has ordered that I retrieve Hephaestus and refit him for service to our Lord."

Goldar slumped as he took in the news.

"Don't worry," Astronema replied smiling sadistically. "It won't be much longer now."

Zedd burst into Mondo's throne room; the wreckage of Cog's flying through the doorway announcing his presence. Mondo sat on his throne, even for a machine he seemed to be unusually confident in his poise despite his imminent doom. Queen Machina stood at his side while Klank and Orbus stood in front of them. Mondo rose to face the tyrant.

"How dare you enter my throne room." he bellowed.

Zedd said nothing, but threw his sword like a spear, the blade hit Machina exploding her body and sending shrapnel in all directions. The blade imbedded in the wall behind her up to the hilt cracking the wall and collapsing it inward. The shrapnel tore through Klank and Orbus as they moved to shield their King, it imbedded into Mondo's armor but did little more than superficial damage. Klank and Orbus fell, their bodies spent and destroyed.

"Machina!" Mondo glared at Zedd. "You may strike down the Machine Empire a thousand times, but we will rise again as we have in the past!"

Zedd moved forward with blinding speed. Grabbing Mondo's head Zedd slammed the machine through his throne, destroying it, and into the wall behind it.

"You miserable, soulless puppet!" Zedd roared. Without further words Zedd closed his hand around Mondo's head crushing it like a paper cup. The only sound was the scream of metal scrapping against metal. Zedd released his grip and the once great leader of the Machine Empire, the second greatest empire in the universe, collapsed to the ground like empty armor. Zedd pulled his sword out of the wall with little effort and turned, marching out of the throne room.

Zedd was pleased; this day had seen the end of the Machine Empire and the death of Ninjor. And with Ninjor dead the power was unprotected, and he knew where to find it. Soon he would go to Earth and destroy the Ranger's power source and then he would mount their heads like trophies on his throne, but first he had an Empire to return to. He could not place his finger on it, but something about this whole affair seemed too convenient for his enemies, something larger than pure coincidence must be at work here, and he would discover it and kill everyone who stood in his way.

The Rangers all stood around the Command Center, no one spoke a word. It had been a long day filled with success and failure, but it was the failure that ate at them. The day was ending and night was beginning to set in. If they did not get home before dark it would generate suspicion, not to mention the possible consequences of violating the military's curfew. Kimberly had a lot on her mind with all the strange events today, and the times it seemed Joshua was still there with them. She wondered where he could have gone and what he was doing.

"So now what?" Ashley sighed.

"I don't know," Billy replied shaking his head. "I don't think there is anything we can do." Billy noticed Kimberly lost in thought and walked over to her. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh, yeah," she replied coming back to reality. "I just have a lot on my mind, I'm just going to go home and get some sleep."

"How can you sleep after today?!" Ashley asked.

"After doing this for a while you realize sometimes there is nothing you can do, and you just have to live with it." Billy replied. "Back when we were fighting against Rita we had to go on with life everyday even though we knew she was planning something new. You have to meet the challenges as they come and not focus so much on it when you have some down time."

"Well I'm gonna get some rest too," Adam replied.

Ashley sighed. Kimberly put her hand on Ashley's shoulder.

"It'll be okay," Kimberly said reassuring her. "Just enjoy the calm while we have it."

"I'm leaving Beta on high alert. With Josh gone…" Billy paused. "We don't have anyone to take watch tonight, so if anything is detected I'll know about it right away."

The Rangers said their farewells and teleported out of the Command Center. No one was sure what awaited them, but each one felt that this was the calm before the storm.

Zedd strode into his throne room full of confidence. He had one more traitor to take care of. Reaching his throne he stepped behind it and brushed the curtains aside revealing a stone doorway. Pushing it open he entered into his private chamber. A cold stone room with a large metal table greeted him. Around the walls were various artifacts captured from other worlds; the Savage Sword from the Planet Rashon, the stone mound which held the Quasar Sabers that he had excavated from Mirinoi and along with others his most recent acquisition the Zeo Crystal. Though he could not touch it he had moved it with its stone perch from the caves below the Palace to a more secure location. Yet none of these items were what he was interested in. Walking forward he came to a small stand that held a single candle. His insurance policy against Green Ranger should he betray him as the other one would have. As this candle burned away so to would the Green Ranger's life force. However, as Zedd approached the candle he was perplexed to see that the Green Candle had reverted to the whitish color that it had once been.

This made no sense, Green Ranger did not even know about this bond, or had he been able to remember? Even if he had there was no way to break the bond he had created between the Green Ranger and the candle, unless Green Ranger was already dead. Lokar had said that Green Ranger was not present when he had been on Earth, yet his Zord was present when the Rangers had attacked him. However, anyone could use the Dragon Zord if Green Ranger had given his powers to someone else, but if he was alive his life force should still be bound to the candle. Zedd was unsure what to make of this omen, the traitor could be dead, or he could have become more powerful than himself. Zedd shook the thought from his mind; he was power incarnate none could withstand him. He took the candle in his hand and melted the wax turning it into vapor. He turned and walked out of the room. Goldar was waiting for him in the throne room. As Zedd came forth Goldar knelt.

"Speak," Zedd said irritation still in his voice.

"My Lord," he began cautiously, not wanting to invite Zedd anger, "The modifications to Hephaestus are nearly completed."

"So soon?" Zedd questioned.

"Yes, my Lord." Goldar replied happy to see his master take delight in the news. "The technology is crafted to be modified easily; it should take only a few short hours to complete."

"Excellent," Zedd replied, "Prepare a strike force along with Hephaestus and begin an attack against Angel Grove during the night. Kill whoever you find."

"Yes my Lord," Goldar replied enthusiastically. He rose unfurling his wings. "Thank you Lord." Goldar turned and walked out of the room. After more than a year he was finally getting what he so deeply craved.

As he left Zedd felt more confident in his position. While Goldar and Hephaestus kept the Rangers busy he would have time to seek out the forces he needed to destroy the Earth's morale, and add it to his vast empire. However, he knew this was not the time to be overly confident, he reached out to Astronema.

"Yes my Lord," she responded, the vileness of Zedd creeping through her mind.

"I am sending Goldar and Hephaestus to Angel Grove. I want you to attack elsewhere on Earth simultaneously so the Rangers are forced to divide their efforts. But, do not directly attack the civilian population."

"At once my Lord," Astronema replied happy to have Zedd withdraw from her mind.

Zedd was content with his diversion. Goldar would bring the real threat close to the Ranger's homes and families, while Astronema destroyed military forces, the bizarre tactics should buy him the time he needed. He rose from his throne, without even a gesture a rift opened before him, Zedd stepped through, the portal closing behind him.

Kimberly walked through the front door, closing it with a sigh.

"Hi honey," came a woman's voice from the other room.

"Hi, Mom," Kimberly replied trying to hide the dreary tone in her voice.

"How was your day?"

"It was okay," she replied causally "Had my ups and downs."

"I'll bet she spent the whole day with her boyfriend," David teased from the living room.

"He's not my boyfriend," Kimberly replied a little defensively walking into the living room.

"David, stop bugging your sister," their Mom replied. "How is Joshua doing though?"

"I dunno," Kimberly shrugged falling onto the couch, "He wasn't around much today." Her voice betrayed a small amount of disappointment.

"Do you want to talk about it?" her Mom asked coming out of the kitchen.

"Nothing to talk about," she sighed. "He just had some things to do and left; didn't say what."

"Well I'm sure everything's fine." she replied. "Everyone else is doing well?"

"Yeah, Ashley and I talked quiet a bit today, Billy and Adam seemed to be doing fine."

"That's good," she said. Her Mother had been worried about her since the incident last year that had killed several of her close friends. It was unfortunate that they had turned up dead like those two other boys from her school. The worst of it was that while the killer had confessed he had been left in the custody of the Power Rangers. How heroes like the Power Rangers could associate with someone like the Green Ranger after he had killed three of their own and at least five other teenagers, not to mention the damage done to industrial district during his rampage with that robot of his was beyond her. She shook the thoughts from her head, her daughter was making friends again and her life was getting back to normal, that's what was important.

"Oh cool, they're showing it again," David said turning up the volume on the television.

"Showing what?" Kimberly asked.

"The Power Ranger's Mega Zord, didn't you see it today?" David replied.

"Oh, yeah," Kimberly replied with a smile.

The image on the television showed the Sky Dragon Mega Zord lifting off and flying away into space.

"It has almost been one year since we have seen the use of the Power Ranger's war machines, which they refer to as 'Zords'." The Newscaster began. "However, today alone there were two incidents of Zord activity, first with a bizarre flight by the Pterodactyl Zord earlier today, and then another trip into space with a Zord that has never been seen before. More disturbing was the emergence of the Dragon Zord," The picture changed showing the limited footage captured from the original fight between Mega Zord and Dragon Zord. "The Dragon Zord, which belongs to the Green Ranger, was last seen during Green Ranger's attack on Angel Grove's Industrial District nearly a year ago." The film footage shifted again to the press conference held at the UN after Green Ranger's defeat. "While the only surviving Rangers, the Blue and Pink, were willing to assume responsibility for the Green Ranger after he allegedly killed several of the other Rangers while under the control of Lord Zedd, some people have criticized this decision as too risky. While many world leaders have been willing to give the Green Ranger a chance to prove himself citing the need for powerful allies with the impending threat of global war at the hands of Zedd's alien forces, many citizens of Angel Grove are not as willing to forgive and forget. A local poll recently showed," the screen changed again showing a pie chart with the figures. "That sixty-four percent of the local population believe that the Green Ranger should have his powers removed and be imprisoned for war crimes. Twenty-one percent said the Green Ranger should be allowed to continue as a Ranger, but that the UN should take a more active roll in the affairs of the Power Rangers. Thirteen percent felt the current arrangement between the Rangers and the UN was fine the way it was, leaving a small two percent group who were undecided…"

Kimberly grabbed the remote and turned off the television.

"Hey!" David protested, "I wanted to see if they showed anymore of the Power Rangers."

"Sorry," Kimberly replied as she rose from the couch tossing him the remote. "I'm not really hungry, I think I'm just going to go read for a while and go to bed," she headed down the hall.

"Are you sure honey?" her Mother asked.

"Yeah,"

"… heightened state of alert," the television came back on. "Local schools will be closed tomorrow,"

"Alright!" David shouted.

"And citizens are advised against going out unless absolutely necessary. While normal curfew rules will apply, the state…" the noise from the News trailed off as Kimberly walked to the end of the hall.

What did those people know? If they knew the whole story things would be different. She couldn't believe that after all Josh had done to help the Earth so many still regarded him as a threat. Of course the problem was that the general public wasn't aware of all he had done. While the Beta made regular reports to the UN regarding the Ranger's activities and findings, with the exception of things that Billy thought it best not to mention, these matters had been labeled 'classified' and kept secret from the public. She doubted that many people even knew the scale of Zedd's forces or that half the world's nuclear arsenal had been placed into orbit as a last line of defense against invasion. Of course it was only a local poll; maybe the rest of the world was a little more understanding.

Kimberly entered her room, turned on the light and closed the door behind her. She sat down on her bed and starred out the window.

"Josh, where are you?" Kimberly said quietly.

Adam was walking up the sidewalk toward his house, the garage door was open, the light on. His Dad was working on his current auto project. Adam approached the garage looking over the car, a 1960 Corvette Convertible. The exterior was still a mess of exposed metal and weathered red paint, the interior wasn't looking much better. His Dad was so busy working on the engine he didn't even hear Adam walk up.

"How's it coming Dad?" Adam asked.

"Little slow," his Dad replied. "A lot of the bolts are so corroded I'm having a hard time getting them off."

"Need any help?" Adam offered.

"Nah," His Dad said standing up straight and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Not tonight, it's getting late. Maybe we could work on it after I get home from work tomorrow, if you're not too busy?"

"I'd like to," Adam said with some reservation. "I'll call you when I get back from school and let you know if I have time."

His Dad smiled, the two of them began to walk in through the garage. His Father turned off the light and pressed the button to close the garage door.

"So how was your day?" He asked as the two of them entered the house.

"Good,"

"The schools are closed tomorrow," Adam's Mom replied as the two came in.

"What?" Adam replied in shock.

"Something about concern over public safety with all the activity from the Power Rangers and their Zords today." She replied.

"Looks like we'll have time to work on car after all," his Dad said.

"I hope so," Adam said trying to hide his doubts.

"Something wrong?" His Dad asked.

"Just worried about what could happen tomorrow." Adam replied.

"Oh, don't worry," his Mom replied. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I'm sure you're right," Adam replied.

Scorpina looked around the bar at the various creatures that were present. Most likely a large number of thieves and mercenaries, from what Lokar had told her most of the population were common variety scum with no strong talents. Most of those who had any real proficiency in combat had already been recruited by Lord Zedd. Had it not been for Zedd's Empire beginning in such a distant galaxy Scorpina most certainly would have been recruited earlier. It was unfortunate, but at least she was far better of than several of Rita's other former minions, not to mention the old witch herself. Still, it was aggravating to have to be talked down to by the likes of Lokar, who had once been in the witch's service ten millennia ago. She tried to refocus. She needed to find someone who could provide her with some information. Walking up to bar she waited for the bartender to acknowledge her.

"What do you want?" the tone was harsh.

Scorpina looked at the creature addressing her, his head was similar to that of a bat, but the mouth was little more than a mess of tendrils. He was hunched over, though humanoid in form, a dark carapace covered his body like some kind of insect.

"I'm looking to join Lord Zedd's army." She said quietly.

The creature began to laugh, "And what makes you think he would have any interest in you?"

In a flash Scorpina had drawn her blade and held it to the creature's neck. "Are you going to help me or not?" the rest of the room's dissidents didn't even raise their eyes as such things were common on Thanos.

"If you want to die that's your business," the bartender replied.

"Are you threatening me?" Scorpina replied her indignation at the breaking point.

"Not at all, but the only way to be recruited by Zedd is to try to get in and see him. If you survive long enough he may take you in, if he doesn't kill you for the amusement."

Scorpina lowered her blade. She had already managed to find out one useful piece of information that, as far as this creature knew, Zedd was still here on Thanos.

The creature continued. "Most around here don't even try to get involved anymore, The Empire's huge, plenty of other opportunities for someone like yourself. I could use someone like you to help with some, special business."

"Not interested," Scorpina said turning away.

"You're a fool girl,"

"That's it," Scorpina muttered as she turned and threw her boomerang shaped sword.

The blade spun out and decapitated the bartender, his head falling off amid the spray of a milky yellow blood. Before his body had even collapsed to the floor the other residents had leapt from their tables to help themselves to his remaining inventory. Scorpina grabbed the blade as it returned and quickly sheathed it. Disgusted by the senseless greed she turned to go.

"Scum…" Scorpina said leaving the bar. The sounds of breaking glass, blades clashing, and weapon's fire could be heard inside as the locals divided up the spoils of her actions.

The crimson light burst forth radiating bolts of blood red lighting which struck several large insects as Zedd's portal opened sending them to the ground. The large insects were twisted, a cross between a wasp and a beetle with their long slender bodies, but their wings were keep under a protective shell of carapace. Their hands little more than scythes with small appendages near the wrists to perform simple tasks; their carapace was a shiny black that seemed to shift between green and yellow in tint.

Zedd stepped through the portal finding himself in an enormous room that resembled an elaborate hive, though similar it was unique to any he had seen made by other species throughout his own universe. The insects that he had knocked down in the manifestation of his gate were quick to return to their feet and swarm forward. Zedd held his arms out causing the bodies of his attackers to burst sending viscous orange liquid and chitinous fragments spraying outward.

"What are you doing on my ship?" A deep hissing voice with a slight gurgle echoed through the chamber.

"Recruiting you for my army." Zedd replied coldly.

There was a subtle rumble as a large black mass began to fold out of one of the walls, legs expanded, large claws reached forward, a tail raised up, the body filling the chamber. A large number of glossed black eyes stared at Zedd. The scorpion like form loomed over him, the body rose like a man, the abdomen low to the ground with eight armored legs spreading from it, the upper body sat on another mid segment that bridged the gap between the two sections. The wide upper body was a large chitinous mass that had a small head at the front and massive clawed arms protruding from the side, the tail rose from the back of the upper body.

"And why should we help you?" the creature said seemly unimpressed with him.

Zedd stood before Scorpius, his tail twitched ready to kill this intruder. His daughter, Trakeena, stood at his side, human in form yet clad in an exoskeleton, except for her face, that shimmered between blue and purple. Zedd did not bother to respond, but instead raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. As he did so Scorpius and Trakeena both fell, their insides twisting and compacting under some heavy force.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to help," Zedd said glaring at them. Neither of them replied, but they continued to writhe on the ground. "Swear allegiance to me or die, my patience is wearing thin."

"We will serve you," Scorpius hissed.

Zedd released his grip, slowing Scorpius rose up, Trakeena remained on the ground.

"And whom do we have the pleasure of serving?" Scorpius asked the resentment in his tone obvious.

"I am Lord Zedd, serve me well and I will reward you, fail me and you will not live to do so a second time."

Ashley sat at her desk working on some math homework. She had meant to do it earlier, but had let herself get distracted, of course in her mind it seemed impossible to not be distracted. So many amazing things had happened, of course Kimberly and Billy had gone on with life as if this was all common place. She knew that they use to deal with this kind of thing constantly, but for the last eight months since she had been there they had seen very little combat. Their were the occasional raids, but most of those relied on stealth and with the war between the two empires neither side had troops to spare. Most of her experience had been sparring with Adam, Billy, and Kimberly. They had tried to include Josh on several occasions, but Josh refused as he did not want to hold himself back in a fight, something about needing to train his mind and body to strike with precise and deadly force. She had seen him once, outside the Command Center using several stone columns as targets for his martial arts.

Josh stepped forward throwing a series of punches into the column, the structure moved slightly sending wisps of dust into the air. Side stepping he launched several kicks against another column, nearly sending it off balance, but the wide base kept it from falling and it settled.

Ashley couldn't believe what she was seeing, he was striking rock with the kind of force that was beyond any of them, and he wasn't even morphed. Turning away she walked back into the Command Center. Kimberly was there training herself, but not to fight, she was performing several gymnastic exercises.

"Do you know what Josh is doing outside right now?" Ashley asked.

"No," Kimberly replied letting go of the hovering rings she was using. "What?"

"He's out there striking rocks, hard!"

"Yeah," Kimberly said a little winded. "He's actually broken a few of those pillars."

"No," Ashley began thinking Kimberly had misunderstood. "He's out there unmorphed striking those pillars."

"I know,"

"Wait he's broken those things without being morphed?"

"Yeah, it's some Zen mind body thing, I know he use to practice something similar with his Tai Chi, but the last couple weeks he's been very focused on this new thing. He said something about training to not feel pain."

"Where'd he learn it?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm not sure,"

Ashley wondered if there was someone else he knew; maybe he was training for whatever it was he was doing now. He had been getting more and more distant the last couple of months, not in a sense that he was pushing people away, more like relationships just stopped growing. Except maybe his relationship with Kim, but she took more initiative to talk with him. She supposed it was partially her fault that she didn't know him better, she never did ask about his whole Zen thing. Maybe that was true of most of the problems. Sure he hadn't opened up to them, but they hadn't really tried to talk to him about it. He had the death of his family he was dealing with, and he had obviously been very focused on something lately, maybe everything else took a backseat? There was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?" she said reigning in her wandering thoughts.

"Can I come in?" a man's voice came through the door.

"Yeah,"

"How you doing angel?" her Father said coming into the room.

"I'm fine Dad, just trying to get some homework done."

"We were a little worried, you seemed a little distracted at dinner."

"Sorry, with all the stuff going on, it was just a crazy day."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine Dad," she smiled

"Okay, well I'm going to be down in the garage working on the car,"

"Do you want any help?" she asked hopeful.

"No thanks honey, I appreciate it, but cars aren't really your strong suit."

"You could teach me?" she suggested.

"Not tonight, I really need to get this done quickly."

"Okay," she sighed trying to hide her disappointment.

Her Father kissed her head and turned to leave.

"You know school is closed tomorrow," he said looking at her homework.

"I know, but if I keep putting it off I won't get it done,"

"We really raised you to be responsible." He smiled. "Just don't keep yourself locked up here all night, your Mom and I have hardly seen you all day."

"I'll be down in a little bit," she replied.

Her Father left the room closing the door behind him. Ashley turned back to her math; maybe next year she'd take auto shop.

Billy was in his makeshift lab staring at his computer. He was looking over the data from their brief encounter with Zedd earlier that day. The power Zedd must have was incredible. It was physically impossible that Zedd had stopped their attack, but he had learned since meeting Zordon and becoming a Ranger there was a world of science out there that was, as of yet, untapped by scientist, and what had been discovered had been labeled as magic and given a place of myth. Still the raw power Zedd had used to stop their attack was fascinating. It was similar to the enhanced powers they had while morphed, but it seemed that not only was Zedd channeling this immense power, he was also the source. How his body could contain such a force was an enigma that Billy could not solve. There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Billy said rubbing his eyes.

"You're dinner's cold," his Mother said peaking her head into the garage.

"I'm sorry," Billy replied. "I've just got a lot on my mind, I totally forgot."

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Billy smiled. "Can you put it in the microwave for me? I'll be out in just a minute."

"Okay William," she ducked back out closing the door.

It just didn't make any sense, how did Zedd get this power?

Billy was staring intently at the display of one of the Command Center's main counsels. The information on the screen describing the power Zedd had didn't seem close to what Joshua had described. As he continued to read the file he came to a point where it seemed to be incomplete. Puzzled Billy searched the computer for the rest of the file. The word locked flashed on the screen indicating the information he wanted had been encrypted. Billy sighed and transferred the file to another matrix with the other encrypted files. It was obvious that he would have to write some software to decrypt these files. Zordon must have had a good reason to keep them locked out, but he was gone and they needed all the information they could get now.

"Is it not going good?" Kimberly asked seeing Billy's frustration.

"No, it's not going well," Billy replied lifting his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "Most of the information we want is encrypted."

Kimberly looked at him puzzled.

"It's in code, we can't read it." He rubbed his eyes again.

"You okay?"

"Just all this time spent looking at the screens is irritating my eyes, and the glasses aren't helping."

"Maybe you should get contacts?" Kimberly suggested.

Billy smiled. "So how are things going with cataloging all the devices and equipment?"

"Alright," Kimberly said. "There's a lot of stuff in there and I don't know what a lot of it is. But at least Josh isn't talking to me."

"You know Kim, you shouldn't take all this out on him, it's not his fault."

"I don't want to talk about this." Kimberly said.

"Can you just try and be a little nicer to him, it's not easy for any of us right now."

"Whatever," she replied a little annoyed. "So what are you gonna do with the files we can't read?"

"I've transferred them to the tertiary storage matrix, once I've gotten all the encrypted files I'll build a separate system that I can use to decrypt the files, but I have to make sure it's independent of the main system, otherwise the main computer might try and prevent the decryption."

"English please." Kimberly said.

"I moved the files to an extra storage device, a back up for the back up. Once I'm done getting all the files I'll build another computer to fix the files so we can read them."

"How long do you think that will take?"

"Maybe a week to finish going through the files we have, but the decryption? Who knows, Zordon's technology is so far beyond anything we have here I don't know if I can even do it."

"Just do your best." Kimberly replied resting her hand on his arm. "I know you'll figure it out, you always do."

Nine months had gone by and still he had been unable to decrypt those files. He had tried every algorithm he could think of and had even tried fractal decryption. Billy returned to his computer looking over all the data one last time. Maybe sometime away from the problem would help him clear his head and come back with a fresh perspective. He rose and walked out of the room turning off the lights leaving the room basking in the glow of various electronic devices and the light from the computer screen.

Zedd stepped out into a dark tomb, the only light emanating from the portal behind him, the blood red light dancing on the walls. The air was stagnant, this place had been sealed thousands of years ago, and no one had set foot in it since. Before him was a sarcophagus, inscribed with runes and ancient warnings; behind the coffin stood the remains of the warlock who had sealed it. Zedd could feel the sorcery that held the dissidents in their place; it seemed so familiar yet so weak. Like the flexing of a muscle Zedd shattered the barrier, the skeleton of the warlock reduced to dust with barely a thought. As the seal was destroyed the sarcophagus cracked and wisps of energy like flame burst forth. The multicolored display filled Zedd with contempt. For a moment the wisps circled him, demonic faces visible in the wisps, vicious roars and banshee like screams emanated from them. Zedd grew tired of their theatrics. His eyes blazed brighter as he forced the demons to assume their corporal forms. Zedd locked eyes with the one he knew to be the leader, Diabolico, a creature that appeared like some form of decaying dragon, yet his face human like in appearance. His body was covered with a form of boney armor, the chest covered by a massive skull with horns; the eyes on both his chest and his face glowed with a deep crimson light. He flexed his massive dragon wings as if to appear more intimidating. To his right stood Loki a massive black hulk. His body lightly armored with huge fangs, claws, and horns. His forehead and chest both bearing a crystal which burned with a foul fire. Chains wrapped his body and hung from his muscular limbs, he glared at Zedd with his pale yellow eyes. His massive black leathery wings remained folded, yet twitched, prepared to strike in a moment. To Diabolico's left was Vypra, a woman. Her body covered with skin like that of a snake, the mouth opened where her human head was as if the snake head were little more than a helmet. Her dark scaly exterior was complimented by smaller dragon wings. In her arms she held an infant demon that looked like little more than a dragon whelp, Impus, whom she was stroking with her claws. Before them, poised to attack was Ghouligan a demon consumed in flame which blazed around him like tentacles.

"I am Lord Zedd, and you will serve me,"

"We will destroy you," Ghouligan replied.

"I have no use for you," Zedd responded. With a thought Zedd extinguished the demon, his frail remains dissolving to charred dust. Zedd looked at the remaining demons.

"What do you want from us?" Diabolico asked, his powerful deep voice shaking the tomb.

"I require that you four destroy the world."

"Four?" Diabolico looked at the infant. "Impus is useless,"

Zedd did not say a word. A thick red mist began to envelope Impus. Vypra let go of him, terrified as the mist burned her skin. The mist thickened and formed a cocoon around the small demon. Then in a blaze of fire it exploded. Diabolico moved his wing to shield his face. When the fire ceased Impus stood before them transformed, his body like a monstrous red dragon, but the mouth was torn open where his sinister human face smiled through rows of long jagged fangs. A golden chest plate shone, a fiery red tree emblazed on it.

"I give you Olympius." Zedd replied.

The demons were curious. Such power granted without so much as a gesture from this stranger. He could be even more powerful than Queen Bansheera. Vypra eyed him suspiciously, he could be very helpful in their own goals, but with such great power why did he need their help?

Diabolico spoke, "Very well, we will serve you. I am…"

Zedd cut him off, "I know who you are,"

"What do you desire of us?" Diabolico asked.

"Return to your home in Mainer Bay, though you will find it in ruins. Remain there until I call for you."

"Very well," Diabolico replied.

Without another word Zedd turned and walked through the portal, it closed behind him leaving the demons in the dark.

"Are you out of your mind?" Loki asked.

"We will not serve him!" Olympius snarled.

Diabolico shook his head, "His first words and he proves himself the spoiled Prince I always knew him to be."

Olympius started to protest.

"He has great power," Diabolico replied silencing him. "We'll play his little game," he smirked "For now. Come let us return to our home, it sounds as if much has changed."

The four demons departed, their blazing forms bursting through the tomb structure and sand above them, letting in the morning light and a flood of dust.

Billy was pulled out of his deep sleep by a familiar beeping, much too familiar. He sat up taking a moment to reorient himself. He could see the oscillating lights on his nightstand.

"Lights, low level," He said.

His room responded, bring the light level up slightly. The communicator beeped again. He picked it up and pressed the button to open communication.

"What is it Beta?" Billy asked yawning. He hoped it was nothing, something small like more conflict on the moon, or maybe Cyclopsis was operational again.

"Object designation Dark Fortress located, entering Thermosphere. Six hundred thirty-seven kilometers above Asia."

"Alert the other Rangers." Billy said getting up. "I'm on my way."

With a thunderous boom space and time were ripped open in the streets of downtown Angel Grove. An eerie crimson light spread from the void like a mist. Hephaestus emerged shaking the ground beneath his massive foot falls, Goldar stood on his shoulder his teeth bared in a cruel smile. Below Hephaestus's feet armies of Putties marched forward, breaking into a full charge once they had cleared the void. Their hollow eyes glowed a dim orange through the cracks in the blackened surface.

"Spare no one!' Goldar shouted, "Make the streets run red with blood!"

It was mildly disappointing to Goldar that he had been ordered to attack during the night. With the military in control the streets were deserted at night, there would be no civilians walking the streets. At least he would be sure to have a steady supply of soldiers once they had fully mobilized. Goldar scanned the streets as the Putties continued to advance. Below molten lava poured from Hephaestus' ports in controlled bursts. The liquid rock began to harden as it was exposed to the air taking shape into new Putties.

Suddenly, to Goldar's delight he spotted soldiers. They were filing into the streets and building taking up defensive positions near the advancing wave of Putties. Goldar could not bear to let one of those mindless drones have the first kill. Unfurling his wings he leapt from Hephaestus's shoulder and soared toward the soldiers. As he dove his sensitive ears could pick up on the distant sound of jet engines and the roar of armored vehicles. Things were about to get interesting.

Goldar was nearly over the soldier's position; he could see several of them had guns trained on him as they watched his flight through their night vision goggles waiting for a clean shot. He was not about to give them one. In a daring move Goldar tucked his wings in and freefell three stories to the ground landing on his feet, the Putties being mere feet from the defensive line.

"Fire!" one of the men shouted.

Goldar strode forward unsheathing his sword and cleaving the nearest soldier in two. His eyes widened in euphoric delight as the spray of hot blood splattered onto his face. Overcome by bloodlust he turned toward another soldier, grabbing his body he lifted him into the air and brought him down onto his knee breaking him in two. Several shots came Goldar's way, but the bullets flattened against his golden armor and fell uselessly to the ground. The Putties overran the defensive line dragging soldiers screaming to the ground as they were hacked and torn to pieces by the blades of the advancing golems. Goldar grabbed one more soldier from behind, gripping his head with his massive claw and twisted it, rending flesh and bone. In a savage jerk Goldar ripped the soldier's head off and held it to the sky unleashing a monstrous roar that reverberated down the empty streets and alleyways. The Putties continued forward undaunted by the gunfire which barely chipped away at their granite hides.

On the other side of Earth Astronema's Dark Fortress was descending upon the city of Shanghi in China. The massive vessel blocked out the sun and shrouded the city in darkness. The weapons were all diverted to shooting down the incoming missile fire from SAM sites and the waves of aircraft that had scrambled when the Fortress began its approach to Earth.

Astronema was already launching her own fighters. Not out of any need to deal with the onslaught from Earth's military forces, but out of the need to let the enemy accomplish something. She had learned from the conquest of hundreds of worlds that no world ever gave up on only a show of brute force, no matter how ruthless and vile Zedd was. If she revealed her full power now it would only drive military resistance underground and too much time would be wasted in the clean up. Better to sacrifice a few Quantrons now to give them a false sense of hope.

Kimberly teleported into the Command Center, Ashley, Adam, and Billy were already present. The three of them where gathered around the holographic display.

"What's going on?" Kimberly asked joining the group.

"We have the Dark Fortress hovering over Shanghi in China, and shortly after Beta detected the Fortress' entry Goldar and a large War Zord, which if the visual records we recovered from the Machine Empire are correct is Hephaestus, emerged in Angel Grove. So far the military has slowed the Putties advance, but as we all know standard weapons are of little use."

"So what do we do?" Ashley asked.

"It's obvious that Zedd is trying to divide our forces, possibly to find out where Joshua is." Billy said. "Lokar had inquired about that in our last battle. And while I agree that we have to divide to deal with these threats I think the best solution would be to send Adam and Kimberly to China with their Zords, Ashley and I will deal with Goldar and that monster."

"We're taking Zords too right?" Ashley asked.

"Of course," Billy replied. "And we always have the Dragon Zord for back up if we need it. Just be careful, the attack in Shanghi is very superficial, I suspect Zedd is setting some kind of trap, so keep your coms open and don't hesitate to call for help if you need it."

The four of them looked around giving nods of consent to Billy's plan.

"Let's do it then," Kimberly said.

The teens reached for their morphers.

"Sir!" One of the soldiers shouted running up to the Captain. "The Special Units are here."

"Thank you private," the Captain replied.

The Captain turned away from the battle and proceeded toward the landing zone, a park in the downtown area that was also being used as the local base of operations. Two Blackhawk Helicopters had just landed, two ten man squads were disembarking. They were equipped with the latest in anti-xenos technology. In addition to Kevlar body armor each one carried a CS102 Shotgun developed solely for the purpose of combating the alien threat. Each weapon fired a ten gauge armor piercing slug with explosive payload, designed to penetrate heavy armor and detonate. The weapon was fitted with a thirty round drum clip and had a light weight ultrasonic bayonet for close combat.

Conventional weapons had proved to be ineffective. Standard M16s were virtually useless, the only thing that had held the Putties off as long as they had were the use of the M203 and M32 grenade launchers combine with their limited supply of RPGs and snipers utilizing Barrett M82s. Even with all this the Putties had still continued to advance. Four squads had been wiped out so far, but the real problems were the gold bat that continued to brutally hunt down soldiers at random and the enormous walker that seemed to be making more Putties.

"Captain," the Sergeant started he and his men saluting.

"At ease," the Captain replied returning the salute.

"Where do you need us sir?" the Sergeant strained to talk over the noise from the Blackbirds.

"We need your team to help cover our forward teams as they fallback. We're drawing the enemy back toward our defensive line where we have set up M61 Vulcans and 20mm Autocannons. Once we have a perimeter established we will need your team to accompany our M163 Vulcan APCs for clean up."

"Yes Sir!" the Sergeant replied. Turning to his men he addressed them. "Alright men we're going in, support strategic fallback and then mop up."

"Sir, yes sir!" the men responded in unison.

The soldiers quickly returned to the Blackhawks which lifted into the sky and raced forward to join the battle. At an even higher altitude two A10 Thunderbolts soared overhead. Though his forces would surely repel this attack it was still a comfort when a streak of blue and yellow shot overhead as well.

The A10s were flying low, above the building line, heading directly toward Hephaestus who towered over the surrounding buildings. Closing in both A10s opened fire with their GAU8 Gatling guns; the shells peppered Hephaestus's torso, but did little against the thick armor. The behemoth seemed to pay no attention to the two craft as they split passing it on both sides. The A10s circled around for a rear attack each releasing a pair of AGM65 Mavericks before veering off. The guided warheads raced toward the lower body of the giant which housed the machinery producing the Putties.

Suddenly twin pods on the lower body opened unleashing a hail of energy blasts tearing the missiles to pieces causing premature detonation. The burning shrapnel rained down around the titan. The A10s pulled out as the gun pods opened fire on them. One craft was hit, the pilot ejecting as the A10 burned momentarily before a second direct hit reduced it to a flaming wreck. With the threat neutralized the gun pods closed.

Scorpina turned down another street. Her task of finding some information about the Empire or Zedd was proving more difficult than she had originally anticipated. Beyond learning that the citizens believed Zedd was here on Thanos she had learned nothing of relevance. She was running out of ideas, there seemed to be little else she could do except go to the Palace, that dark obelisk that rose above the rest of the city like a tombstone, the immortal testament to this world's death. She suddenly became aware of how quiet the street around her had become. She looked around but saw no one. A chill filled her as if some nameless phantom stood over her. She walked along quickly, tracing her steps to find someone, but the streets, which only moments ago were inhabited, were suddenly silent.

"Looking for someone?" a chill voice came from behind her.

In a flash she drew her weapon and turned throw it in the direction of the sound. Yet the nothing was there, the blade returning after cutting through nothing more than light fog. Scorpina looked around beginning to panic.

"What are you after?" the voice came again, much closer this time.

Scorpina turned to see a dark figure with yellow eyes in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Scorpina demanded taking hold of her weapon.

"I asked first," the voice came much more gruff this time.

"I'm looking for information on Lord Zedd, I want to join his army."

"No you don't," the creature replied. "If you had you would have gone to the Palace after you were told that was the only way to join."

"Have you been following me?"

"I'm not answering any of your questions until you answer mine." He said stepping out of the shadows. He was clad in armor that looked much like an earth shark's body, but had a face that almost appeared mechanical within the shark's mouth, his shoulder guards were spread wide with a black and white sleeveless robe draped over his body. It was ornamented with several arcane symbols of gold inlaid and held at the waist with an ocean blue belt with a gold clasp. On his back he carried a large sword with a fang-serrated blade.

Scorpina drew her weapon and leapt at this fiend slashing violently. With blinding speed the stranger had drawn his weapon and blocked her. With a strong push against her weapon he sent her back. She stumbled trying to regain her balance, but even as she did her assailant was upon her. With a leg sweep combine with a chest strike the creature send Scorpina crashing into the stone street. His blade was at her throat, his knee digging into her chest, Scorpina could feel the teeth points against her skin.

"Now answer my question."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Last chance," the creature said. The teeth on his blade dug in slightly, blood slowly seeped out of the light wound.

"I'm here in service to Lord Zedd to find out why the Empire hasn't responded the last year he's been gone."

"You're lying, Zedd returned from Earth nearly a year ago,"

"I'm not lying, I'm here with Lokar and Ecliptor."

The creature eased up on his blade giving Scorpina a little room to breath.

"Take me to them then," the creature said coldly.

"Tell me your name first,"

The creature laughed, "Vexacus," he replied.

Vexacus moved back allowing Scorpina to get back on her feet. Scorpina didn't trust this thing, but the three of them should be able to overpower him if he tried anything.

"Let's go," Vexacus motioned with his sword.

Scorpina began to walk back toward her compatriots.

The sky exploded in brilliant bursts of fire as Kimberly's Pterodactyl Zord fired off another volley of missiles and charged particles from her cannons. Several Velocifighters were shredded by the heavy fire, the debris raining onto the empty streets below. Adam's Zord, Mastodon, stood below the Dark Fortress firing its zero-point cannon, the shots impacting on the fortress shields steadily sapping the power. Velocifighters caught in the line of fire shut down and plummeted to the ground, impacting like a lead weight the Quantron pilot and the craft a lifeless frozen mass.

On the Fortress's bridge Astronema was becoming frustrated with the Rangers attacks. Their arrival, even if it was only two of them had resulted in heavy losses on her side. On top of it her shields would not be able to take much more from the zero-point attacks, the shields were already below ten percent and undergoing randomized failure. Fortunately none of the enemy's attacks had pierced the shield and made it through to the fortress. She ran her finger over the guard of a button on the weapon's counsel. She knew she could wipe all these forces out in a single attack, she pulled her hand back. She needed to let them think they could win, she would have her chance soon enough.

"Recall the fighters and move the Dark Fortress into orbit." Astronema commanded.

The Quantrons responded and began their feint. As the fortress began its ascent shouts of victory rang out from the people below. The Rangers continued to fire on the escaping fighters and the fortress, but it was to little affect.

"That bothers me," Kimberly said over the com.

"Why?" Adam asked.

"It was too easy."

"Are you kidding me?" Adam replied in shock. "Its amazing that we were able to repel their attack."

"That's exactly why it seemed too easy."

Adam paused and reflected on the truth of her words. Maybe something else was at work in all this, or maybe they were just being tested. Kimberly interrupted his thoughts.

"We better get back to Angel Grove and join up with Billy and Ashley."

"Agreed," Adam replied.

In twin streaks the Zords teleported from the battle field and raced around the world toward Angel Grove. Kimberly was so preoccupied with the battle that she didn't realize the emblem on the shield had reverted back to the dragon talons.

Vexacus was slammed into the alley wall by a discharge of energy from Lokar. He and Ecliptor had seen the two of them approaching and it had been obvious from their postures that Scorpina wasn't brining this beast here without some coercion.

As Vexacus began to collapse Ecliptor grabbed a hold of his neck and brought him back up slamming him into the wall again. Ecliptor's other hand grabbed hold of Vexacus's sword arm and wretched it forcing him to drop his blade. Ecliptor lifted him up the wall holding him a couple feet off the ground. Lokar approached him.

"Now what would make someone so bold as to lay a hand on one our Lord's chosen?" Lokar asked.

"I meant no disrespect," Vexacus choked out as Ecliptor's icy metallic grip tightened.

"That's not what I asked." Lokar said. "It would be unfortunate if my questions were not answered quickly." Even as he said this Vexacus could feel his body tighten, pain spread though him as if his innards were on fire. Scorpina stood back and watched with a sadistic satisfaction. "I might lose my patience."

"I thought she was an enemy of the Empire. I thought maybe I could make some money off her head." Vexacus replied.

"Why did you think that?"

"She was asking a lot of questions about Zedd," Vexacus struggled to get some air.

"And why would that make you suspicious? Weren't you also curious about our Lord's whereabouts?"

"That's just it, Zedd…"

"Lord Zedd!" Lokar reprimanded. Ecliptor's grip tightened again.

"If Lord Zedd is with you, then the one here is no Lord." Vexacus wheezed.

Lokar looked intrigued, with a nod Ecliptor dropped the creature. Vexacus fell to his knees clutching his throat and gasping for air.

"What is you name worm?" Lokar asked.

"Vexacus." He replied.

"I want to hear everything you know about the Zedd here on Thanos, and I want to know right now."

Billy's and Ashley's Zords thundered down the streets of Angel Grove, Putties being thrown and trampled by the Zord's advance. The Putties' near impervious forms rising to their feet as the Zords passed. Billy was running scans on Hephaestus. Specifically he was monitoring how fast this creature was adding to the Putty forces and the number of Putties currently existing.

"How bad is it?" Ashley asked over the com.

"There are thousands of Putties and more are being produced at a rate of several hundred a minute."

"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked.

"Our first target needs to be the monster that is producing the Putties, he does have a finite amount of reserves to create Putties, but at full capacity the numbers suggest that he could produce over one hundred thousand Putties!"

With no further debate the Zords continued to tear over the armies of Putties racing toward Hephaestus, who was still several miles off, and the Rangers could not afford to lob fire in the downtown area. This was going to be the most difficult battle they had ever faced.

Lokar, Ecliptor, Scorpina, and Vexacus emerged from a gateway into the chamber outside of Zedd's throne room. Vexacus looked around impressed with this temporary stronghold. The others removed their cloaks, as they cast them off; they faded into a dark mist which quickly dissipated. Lokar motioned to Vexacus and the four entered into the throne room. Vexacus was left speechless by what he saw. Sitting on the throne at the end of the room was Lord Zedd, his eyes blazing with fire that seemed to burn his very soul from across the room. Though he wanted to collapse, his knees becoming weak, Vexacus walked with Lokar down a cobblestone path made of skulls, the walls were lined with the forms of tortured souls. Torches blazing with crimson fire lined the walls all around. At the end was the great throne where Zedd sat.

"Why do you bring this mercenary to me?" Zedd asked Lokar.

Vexacus, unable to bear the fear that Zedd's presence seemed to flood his whole being with collapsed on his knees bowing down.

"My Lord," Lokar began. "This is Vexacus, he knows why the Empire has not sought us out."

"Really?" Zedd asked, his eyes burning with intense interest. "Explain."

Vexacus remained knelt, unable to speak.

"Speak worm!" Lokar demanded as he struck Vexacus.

Vexacus struggled with all his will to form his words. "My Lord, no one has come to your aide…"

"I need no aide!" Zedd thundered.

"I'm sorry my Lord," Vexacus chose his words more carefully. "There is an imposter on Thanos, masquerading as you."

"Continue," Zedd growled trying to hide his rage at this betrayal.

"The imposter showed up a few days after Serpentera had left for Earth. He declared that Earth had fallen to the Empire and that the Power Rangers had proved no threat. He promoted Dark Specter as his second in command and…"

"Dark Specter?" Zedd roared.

"Yes my Lord," Vexacus replied flinching slightly.

Zedd made no reply but stared at Vexacus.

"Continue," Lokar said.

"With the Earth destroyed the Empire has had a time of peace, I presumed to solidify our position."

At this moment Astronema entered the throne room to make the report of her diversionary attack. Zedd rose from his throne.

"Astronema,"

"Yes my Lord," she replied happy to have him speak rather than invading her mind.

"We are going to Thanos; we have a betrayal to deal with. Leave the Dark Fortress to guard the stronghold, you will come with me."

"My Lord, what of Goldar and Hephaestus?" She inquired. As she asked she sent the orders through to the Dark Fortress. "Shall we recall them also?"

"Leave them to do as they please. Lokar, the rest of you will accompany me."

"Yes my Lord," Lokar replied as he and the others bowed.

Vexacus was still kneeling on the floor. Zedd turned to him.

"Vexacus, serve me well and you will be rewarded, fail me?" Zedd laughed. "Come see what becomes of failures."

Zedd tore open a portal and the six entered in, the gateway closing behind them.

Billy and Ashley had closed on the source of the Putties. Both opened fire with their laser cannons, the concentrated light blasts impacted against Hephaestus's armor. The armor was super heated red hot and scorched around the fringes of the attacks. Even as their attacks damaged him, Hephaestus devised a new plan to deal with this threat. As they continued to advance the Putties began to climb onto the Zords, their shifting forms oozing into actuators and joints bringing the Zords to a stand still. They continued to swarm the immobile Zords clogging the weapons and other openings. The Zords began to overheat as the cooling systems were cut off. Ashley tried to fire her cannon to clear the barrel, but it was no use, the heat fed back into the system causing it to reach critical levels.

"We have to eject!" Billy said.

"Okay," Ashley replied her voice shaky.

The two Rangers ejected. As they soared into the sky they were both left breathless at the sight of the thousands of Putties pouring through the streets like a landslide. As they descended into the flood they materialized their weapons, Billy landed first twirling his lance to create a perimeter. The attack knocked the Putties back, but did nothing more. Ashley landed behind him; they stood back to back prepared to fight. The Putties charged, in a swirl of swinging weapons and kicks Billy and Ashley fought desperately to hold their ground. Yet even as they were managing to destroy a few Putties more kept swarming in threatening to engulf them.

"We can't stay here." Billy said.

With a nod from Ashley the two leapt from the ground and landed on the roof of a nearby building. The Putties seemed undaunted by this set back and began to scale the building using hooked hands. Billy watched them climb at a fast rate toward their location.

"We need to create a bottleneck somewhere." Billy said.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"We need to find someway to draw them into some narrow pathway so the Putties can't surround us, then we'll at least have a fighting chance."

"But what about that thing producing more, they'll just keep coming!" Ashley exclaimed.

"We don't need to destroy them all," Billy started. "We just need to buy some time for additional forces to arrive."

Ashley and Billy began to scan the cityscape, but it was difficult to see clearly through the night and the Putties were nearly to the rooftop. Then Billy spotted it, an alley with a dead end. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do for the moment. Billy pointed it out to Ashley and the two sprung from the building just as the Putties were beginning to climb over the top. As Billy landed he split his lance into its twin parts and steeled himself against the odds. The Putties began to pour into the alley. Billy and Ashley charged forward to give themselves as much room to fall back as possible. They put all the energy they had into their attacks, but despite their best effort the Putties were advancing too quickly. Billy was preparing to concede defeat and teleport out, but at that moment there was a loud thunderous boom as the Pterodactyl tore through the sky above the Putties, many were thrown back, caught in the jet wash. At that same moment Adam opened fire down the street with his zero-point cannon. The molten core of the Putties hardened and crumbled, the dust blowing away in the wind. With hope restored Billy and Ashley began to fight the few remaining Putties in the alley.

Kimberly wasn't sure if she had enough firepower to take down Hephaestus, she only knew that she had to try if they were going to have any hope of stopping the hordes of Putties. Locking onto the monster she opened fire with all weapons, the laser and energy attacks impacted the titan's armor, superheating the surface and then warping it as the missiles' concussion tore through it. Hephaestus seemed undaunted and swung his massive fusion blade; the suddenness of the attack caught Kimberly off guard as it sliced through part of the wing. Pterodactyl lost control and began to spiral out of control. Kimberly hit the ejection button and launched into the sky. The Zord plowed into the street tearing up pavement and leaving a scar across the landscape, the Zord was badly damaged, but otherwise intact. As she flew through the air she manifested her bow and fired a rapid succession of shots at Hephaestus and Goldar, who had returned to his perch on his shoulder looking for more soldiers. The attack did little to Hephaestus, but one shot knocked Goldar back causing him to lose his balance and fall from the war machine. He unfurled his wings and made a controlled decent to the ground below. As Goldar looked back toward the Pink Ranger, his eyes blood shot from his frenzied killing, he noticed the Green Ranger's shield attached to her armor. He growled, discontent that the Green Ranger seemed to be missing.

Adam was fairing no better, despite the Putties being unable to plug his zero-point cannon they had managed to work their way into the joints and vents bringing the Zord to a halt. Unable to maneuver Adam continued to fire shots in the direction of the monster clearing the street between them. As the Zord began to reach critical temperature levels Adam was forced to eject. He hit the ground and began to sprint toward the monster manifesting his axe.

The Rangers began to converge on the monster, Ashley and Billy had cleared away the Putties and, using a double jump off the wall to avoid the molten slag left behind, emerged onto the street to join Adam. Kimberly was already falling back to meet with them, Goldar following closely behind her like a lion chasing its prey. Even with all the Putties in the immediate area gone more were being created and the others which were dispersed through the city began to converge on the Ranger's position. Kimberly joined up with the others, Billy and Adam moved to intercept Goldar, who halted his charge rather than impale himself on their weapons.

"We need to do something," Adam said.

"I can still call in the Dragon Zord," Kimberly said reaching for the dagger.

Billy nodded to her. Kimberly brought the dagger flute to her mouth and began to play the haunting melody. In the distance the Dragon Zord emerged from the dark waters outside Angel Grove, the red glow of the eyes looking more fearsome in the night. As the systems came online the Zord teleported and emerged behind the Rangers facing Hephaestus. Goldar glared at the four of them intently.

"Where is the Green Ranger!" Goldar roared. "I will devour him!"

The Rangers could see the look of rage in his eyes and the blood that stained his hand and armor; the strong, sickening scent of blood that surrounded him.

"Go," Billy said. "We'll take care of him."

Kimberly leapt up to the Zord cockpit, as she took the controls she launched a burst of plasma at the new Putties that were following behind Goldar. She would have liked to target Goldar, but that thing making the Putties was more important. The plasma hit the Putties instantly heating their bodies into a molten state. They continued to advance slowly melting into the liquid asphalt. Kimberly charged with Dragon Zord, attempting to step on Goldar, who unfortunately dove out of the way. Seizing this moment the other Rangers rushed Goldar, weapons ready.

Kimberly raced toward the monster, molten rock and asphalt splashing from the streets and splattering on the sides of the buildings. Kimberly locked onto the ports of the creature that were ejecting the magma. She spread the Zord's arms wide and launched her missiles. In addition she fired a plasma barrage at the monster's torso.

Hephaestus managed to slice through the plasma with his twin sabers diverting the attack to his sides, though the heat still scorched his armor. The armor piercing missiles impacted the ports shredding and mangling the protective hatches locking them in place. Yet Hephaestus still tried to force the molten rock through to purge his ports, but to no avail. The magma pushed through the small holes and cracks, but began to cool sealing the ports completely. Hephaestus howled in rage as he threw his fusion blade at the Dragon Zord, Kimberly leapt into the air to avoid it but was not fast enough and the blade sunk into the left leg. Dragon Zord landed, toppling over into a building. The Putties began to swarm over it locking it up.

Goldar grabbed Ashley by the neck and threw her into a nearby building, causing her body to smash through the wall and roll to a stop inside. Billy and Adam saw the more Putties closing in behind them. Suddenly the ground shook, Billy looked up to see Dragon Zord lying on the ground, a thick dust cloud spreading from a collapsed building, Putties already swarming over it. Kimberly was trying to eject, but the hatch was sealed by the rubble from the building. Taking this moment of distraction Goldar swung his sword down on Billy, but Adam stepped in to block with his axe, though the force of the impact caused Adam to drop to his knees. Billy jumped over Adam and attempting to kick Goldar, but was swatted out of the air and crashed into the soft asphalt. Goldar kicked Adam sending his skidding back in the sludge of half melted street.

"You have no hope, no more tricks left, and now I will kill you all!" Goldar roared.

Hephaestus ripped his weapon from the Dragon Zord and pulled back to drive it through the cockpit.

"Kimberly!" Ashley screamed as she emerged from the building.

Suddenly there was a loud crack like a comet impact. Hephaestus's head shattered; the shrapnel flying forward over the Rangers. The massive war machine collapsed, dropping to its knees and falling forward, a lone figure jumped from Hephaestus's back and landed on the ground. Kimberly was shocked as she watched it on the display. The green armor looked almost black in the darkness, the white diamond pattern standing out in stark contrast; it looked so unnatural without the shield.

"Josh!" she exclaimed.

Joshua wasted no time in leaping to the head of the Dragon Zord. He struck the ground near the head reducing the concrete rubble to powder. The force of his strike cratered the ground sending the Putties flying out from the point of impact. He pulled the manual release to the hatch. Taking Kimberly's hand Joshua helped her out of the Zord. Kimberly just stared at him for a moment.

"Miss me?" he said with a smile. Kimberly didn't say a word in reply but instead wrapped her arms around him tightly. He hadn't even been gone a day, but it had seemed longer somehow.

"Come to your death Green Ranger!" Goldar roared.

"You can deal with me first Goldar!" a voice from behind him replied. Goldar turned toward the voice. All he saw was a flash of red before he was kicked back into a building foundation cracking the concrete. The Ranger's attention turned to the new figure. The Tyrannosaurus emblem in gold on the chest glowed with the reflected light of the magma pools that littered the street, his appearance was like a blazing fire that filled each of the Rangers with a new strength and hope. Red Ranger stepped forward confidently, without another word he manifested his Power Sword in a streak of red light and rushed Goldar. Ashley and Adam were focused on Red Ranger. Billy was also intrigued, he couldn't help wonder who he was. Red Ranger swung at Goldar, but Goldar managed to bring his sword up to block. Goldar flapped his wings pushing the Red Ranger back and returning him to his feet.

The Putties were almost on top of the other Rangers who were side tracked by the fight between Goldar and the Red Ranger. Joshua saw them closing. He let go of his embrace on Kimberly.

"I'll be back in a second," he told Kimberly as he sprinted toward the advancing Putties.

Billy and the others saw Joshua coming and turned to find the Putties nearly on top of them, rushing forward in a spearhead attack. Joshua flew past the Rangers and struck the lead Putty in the center of its chest. The Putty exploded the other Putties stopped and braced their bodies against the blast wave created. Magma flew out from the lead Putty forming razor-sharp darts as it cooled which started a chain reaction with all the Putties behind it. In seconds the street was lit by the fiery glow of Putties exploding, the force of the attack directing the magma made shards into each successive row. Those Putties not destroyed were thrown back by the shockwave. The windows of the surrounding buildings and cars exploded as the pressure wave from his attack traveled several blocks down the street.

The other Rangers were awe struck by the shear display of power. They had seen Joshua take on Putties before, but never like this, had he somehow gotten stronger? Kimberly also stood by the Dragon Zord watching the wave spread through the Putties destroying many of them. As the attack lost its momentum, and the dust settled only a handful of Putties remained amidst the powdered remains and hardened obsidian slivers.

Red Ranger swung his sword fiercely, disarming Goldar and sending his sword flying next to the collapsed titan which still convulsed with the smallest signs of life. Red Ranger kicked Goldar's knee inward causing him to fall before him. Goldar was on his knees, Red Ranger's sword pointed at his throat. Green Ranger had turned toward him. Goldar, the rush of his bloodlust subsiding, knew he had been beaten, nearly all the Putties had been destroyed, and those remaining were now being destroyed as the military's tactical strike units had gotten a handle on the numbers. The whirl of helicopter blades could be heard on the horizon, there was nothing left to do here. In a swirl of flames Goldar dematerialized, taking Hephaestus and his sword with him. Zedd would not be pleased.

Joshua walked toward Kimberly, the Dragon Zord teleported out, returning to the underwater hanger for repairs. The other Zords which sat lifeless on the street vanished. The Rangers converged, the six standing around in a group.

"So who's the new guy?" Adam asked.

"Not here," Joshua replied, "We should get back to the Command Center, I have a lot to fill you in on."

Kimberly approached Joshua and placed her hand on the emblem on his chest. "This is yours," she said. The energies flowed from her body, the shield and dagger vanished from her armor and returned to his. She smiled, "It's good to have to you back,"

Joshua smiled and nodded in agreement. The others responded likewise. As they surveyed the area they could see the military had things well in hand now, they had bigger concerns; this wasn't the end. It was more likely that this was only a warm up for the real battle ahead. The six of them teleported out, the complete spectrum of colors streaked the sky, the team complete for the first time.

The grand courtyard of Zedd's palace on Thanos was adorned with large gothic figures, a tribute to his power and might of the countless worlds he conquered and held under his rule. It was peaceful like a graveyard, the silence a reminder of the fate of all who opposed Lord Zedd. Then like a growing storm the ground began to shake, the rumbling could be felt across the surface of the entire planet. The ground began to bleed, gallons of crimson blood filtered up through the ground covering the courtyard. Reaching a few feet in depth the blood began to swirl, from the balcony above the courtyard Dark Specter looked out on these ominous signs. His large rock like form shone with a dim fiery light as if his whole body where made of molten rock. His large hands, comprised of three clawed fingers gripped the railing as he watched, his ears, which were like fins began to fold down, as that of a scolded dog before being punished. The imposter, who was like Zedd in appearance, but wore armor of a more regal nature, black as night, but with wide shoulder guards and a flowing purple cape, runes of gold adorned the black surface, interspersed with gems and of icons of power. The helmet was shaped similarly, but extended into a series of spires like a crown on top.

"What's going on?" the imposter demanded.

"I fear the Machine Empire failed, and we are about to lose our lives." He replied.

"I can afford to lose a life," the imposter replied, "We never should have trusted his destruction to those worthless machines."

"Lose your life here if you want, but I'm getting out of here."

"And go where?" the imposter asked. "No matter where you go Zedd can hunt you down, better to face him today than to cower for whatever days you have left."

Without another word the two turned and watched as the swirling vortex of blood began to rise from the pool, taking shape. With a deafening shriek the cyclone of blood was torn apart, a portal opening. Scorpina and Vexacus stepped out drawing their weapons, they observed the area carefully. Following behind Ecliptor and Astronema emerged, though they felt no need to draw their weapons. The air thickened, as if the blood had even drenched it. Dark Specter cringed as he choked on it. Lord Zedd emerged from the portal, Lokar followed slightly behind on his right. Zedd's eyes were drawn to the balcony where he saw the imposter standing alongside Dark Specter. His body shook with rage as his eyes blazed even brighter. The two traitors attempted to maintain their composure and turned away entering back into the palace.

"The impotence!" Lokar brooded. "Allow me to destroy them my Lord."

"No," Zedd growled. "I will kill these two traitors myself."

The group marched forward, the blood, which still covered the ground, parted before them. As Zedd came to the large double door at the front of the palace he was confronted by two Tenga Warriors. The two Tengas were massive in form, standing just over two meters in height, their arms and legs were identical in appearance with a bird's talons, though they walked upright, enormous black wings unfurled from their backs guarding the entry way. Their heads, raven like with dark red eyes, cocked from side to side. Zedd motioned with his hand and the Tengas tucked their wings in which wrapped them like a cloak. They hunched back down on their legs and tucked their beaks under their wings.

Vexacus was shocked by this, did these beasts know their master's presence so well that no force would be required to gain entry?

As the great door opened the group walked through it into a large room, it was an aviary for Tengas. Around the room hundreds of the creatures were perched on various fixtures, their beaks nestled in their wings, some were asleep others watched the group quietly as they walked through the room. The walls were lined with dead bodies, in fact the palace had been constructed, not with stone, but with the bones of the creatures from the many worlds Zedd had dominated. Their forms encased forever into the walls, floors, and ceilings. The eyes all glowed with a pale green flame giving light to the rooms. Zedd looked around, a twisted sense of fondness filled him, though he would never admit it, it eased his mind to be home. The group worked their way through the halls of the palace, passing by various rooms, more akin to chambers of torture than comfortable furnishings, until at last they came to the throne room. Zedd burst in, the others following around him, but staying out of his path.

The imposter was seated in Zedd's throne, Dark Specter stood to one side doing his best to look strong in the presence of Lord Zedd. As Zedd approached the imposter rose.

"I suppose it would do me little good to keep up this deception in your presence." He said mockingly. Lokar shook with indignation at his impertinence.

"No it wouldn't," Zedd replied disgust and anger in his tone. "Now before I kill you, tell me who you are."

"Of course," the imposter replied with a laugh.

The Rangers stood around in a circle. Red Ranger had not spoken a word since they had returned. The others, save Josh and the Red Ranger, had removed their helmets. Joshua removed his and looked around at his friends, after the day's events he was glad to be back himself.

"So enough secrets," Kimberly said playfully hitting him. "Who's the new guy?"

"Well he's someone you know," Joshua replied. "I think it would be easier to just show you."

"And then you'll explain where you were all day?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, in fact I'll go back to the beginning and tell you the whole story." Joshua replied. He motioned to the Red Ranger.

Red Ranger slowly removed his helmet, the others all waiting to see the face of their new leader. As the helmet was lifted the Rangers saw his features, dark hair, brown eyes, a confident smile.

Kimberly felt the blood rush out of her face as she saw him, it wasn't possible. Did Joshua pick this guy as some kind of a joke? This couldn't really be him.

"I don't believe it," Kimberly said her voice unsteady.

"I think you better start explaining things right now," Billy said.


	4. Chapter 4

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-4-

"Guys," Red Ranger replied. "It's really me."

"That's impossible," Billy replied. "Jason, the real Jason, is dead."

"I was," Jason replied. "Joshua risked his own life to come pull me back from the other side."

"This is going to take time for them to process," Joshua said to Jason.

"Wait a minute!" Ashley broke in. "Are you telling me this is 'The Jason', the former Red Ranger, the one that was killed?"

Kimberly was feeling light headed, she sat down. Joshua put a hand on her shoulder but she brushed it away.

"Leave me alone," she said; frustration in her tone.

Josh was trying to be understanding. "I know how you must be feeling, I felt the same way when Ninjor first told me about this, and…"

"Who's Ninjor?" Billy interrupted momentarily trying to distract his mind from the impossible.

"He's…" he paused for a moment. "He was the guardian of the power, the morphing grid, whatever you want to call it. He was the one who saved you on the moon when you tried to fight Zedd with your Zords."

"How do you know about that?" Adam asked.

"While I was… out of this realm I had knowledge of what was going on, when I left some of my powers with Kimberly it connected us. Your powers are part of you. Passing part or all of them to another is like leaving a part of yourself with that person. It leaves you connected."

"How long have you known about all this, with Ninjor and Jason?" Kimberly asked, the confusion of the moment driving her to tears.

"Since before I recruited Adam and Ashley," Josh sighed, his eyes fell.

"And you didn't think to tell us!" Kimberly forced through her tears. "Are there anymore secrets, anything you aren't telling us!"

Jason walked over to Kimberly. "Kim, please don't be angry with him." He said placing his hand on her shoulder. Kimberly looked up at Jason tears streaking her face.

"It's just so hard," she tried to talk through her tears. "I mean you were dead, and it was hard and it hurt a lot, and then you just show up here, and, I don't even know what to think anymore." She stood up and hugged Jason, the joy and the pain all a blur in the moment. She buried her head in his chest and began to sob. "It's good to see you again." She whispered through her tears. Jason hugged her trying to comfort her.

Billy had also taken a seat and was trying to wrap his mind around the situation. People didn't come back to life, it simply did not happen, this defied the laws of science and nature. He wanted to accept that this was Jason, that his friend was alive again, he should have been happy, but he simply could not deal with this. Adam and Ashley were feeling uncomfortable with the heightened emotion in the air. They understood what was going on, but never having known Jason in life they weren't able to understand what Billy and Kimberly were going through.

"I know this is hard to accept," Josh said. "I had a hard time accepting it when Ninjor told me that Jason's soul could be recovered from the other side, more importantly he said it was necessary if we were going to survive this war."

"It's just so hard to believe," Billy said his own eyes beginning to tear up. "Is it really you Jason?"

"It's really me Billy," Jason said his smile offering a measure of reassurance.

Billy stood up and walked over to Jason and Kimberly and put his arms around them. They stood there silently for a moment.

"I think they're going to need a little bit." Jason replied.

"I'll wait outside," Josh said. He motioned to Ashley and Adam and the three of them left the Command Center.

Lord Zedd stared down the imposter, waiting for him to make his move. The imposter said nothing, but instead began to shed his skin, his disguise melting off his body. Standing in his place was a creature that appeared to be an amalgamation of flesh and technology, his body a twisted combination of orange and red flesh and metal armor, spikes and teeth appeared throughout his body, an orange vest looking as if it were made from some monster's mouth covered most of his torso. Ecliptor recognized him from a long time ago.

"Darkonda," Ecliptor said; his tone full of disdain.

Darkonda said nothing in response but began to laugh. Zedd was through with this creature; he raised his hand. Streaks of fire burst forth like serpents engulfing Darkonda, the force of the fire stripping his flesh. Yet even as the flesh burned exposing charred bone and mechanical parts Darkonda only continued to laugh as if he were deriving some twisted pleasure from Zedd's actions. As the fire burned through his body the laughter was snuffed out. Zedd closed his hand and the flame ceased. Darkonda's remains fell to the ground a charred pile of armor and bones. Zedd suspected this fiend had no idea that he was already aware of his secret. Zedd turned his attention to Dark Specter, who was now cowering on his knees.

"And you? I will have to think of a fitting punishment for you," Zedd said.

"Master," Astronema interrupted.

"What?" Zedd asked almost sounding annoyed.

"I have something that would be perfect for Dark Specter."

Zedd did not respond but instead reached into her mind to see what this was she had planned. As he looked through her scheme he was content that it would cause Dark Specter to suffer and die very slowly.

"Very good," Zedd replied as he finished looking through her mind. "I will leave him to you. Lokar gather my Tengas! We have a world to conquer!"

Ecliptor stepped forward drawing his sword placing it at Dark Specter's throat.

"Let's go," Astronema commanded.

"You will live to regret this traitor," Dark Specter growled.

Astronema grinned as Ecliptor led Dark Specter from the room.

Josh, Adam, and Ashley were standing out in the cool mountain air enjoying the peace of night. The stars were shinning brightly in this remote region away from the city and the military search lights. Ashley was the first to break the silence.

"How did you bring someone back from the dead?"

"It wasn't easy," Josh replied. "I would not want to do it again."

"What was so hard about it?" Adam asked intrigued by this whole thing.

"Oni," Josh replied.

"What's Oni?" Ashley asked.

"Oni are the warriors of Makai, what we would call Hell. They punish evil-doers and are responsible for guarding the realm and to torture the wicked."

"Are you saying Jason was in Hell?" Adam asked.

"No," Joshua replied. "Jason was still at the border, the realm where the three realms meet. But Oni roam that area as well and for a mortal to trespass into that realm is not permitted."

"So does that mean they'll keep coming after you?" Ashley asked.

"No," Josh replied solemnly. "I killed them, and destroyed all the evidence."

"You sound sad," Ashley replied. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"I don't know," Josh sighed his eyes studying the stars.

"What about the others?" Adam asked. "Zack and Trini?"

Josh was quiet for a moment, "They had already moved on," he replied. "There is no way to bring them back now. I was only able to retrieve Jason because he hadn't moved on to the next world, Ninjor said his task in this world wasn't complete yet, for whatever that's worth."

The Rangers stood in silence, Adam and Ashley both uncertain of what to say. Both had many pressing questions, Ashley did not want to pass on this opportunity to talk to him more, but he seemed resistant to discussing it all at the moment. It seemed he had a long day, and who knew how he was taking the emotional turmoil that Billy and Kimberly seemed to be going through. Adam had to admit it wasn't much of a surprise when he thought about it. The grief process was about closure, and he couldn't imagine accepting someone was gone and then discover they were wrong. It must be like those people who are missing for a long time and their loved ones move on and then one day the person returns, but it must be harder when you see the person die and then cremate them.

The other Rangers emerged from the Command Center. Kimberly's face was still glistening with tears, but she was smiling. Joshua didn't turn to face them, but instead kept watching the sky as if lost in thought. Kimberly didn't say a word, but walked beside Joshua and laced her fingers through his. Josh turned and looked at her.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said.

"I forgive you," Josh replied.

"Thank you for bringing Jason back."

Josh smiled, though she could tell something troubling was on his mind. "You don't need to thank me," he replied. "I was happy to do it."

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"We'll get to that soon enough," Josh replied.

"I think they're ready to hear everything," Jason said.

Josh nodded and the six of them went back into the Command Center. They all took a seat in the main room as Josh prepared to fill everyone in on everything that had been going on from the beginning.

"Well," Josh started. "As half of you will remember, Kimberly found a box while cleaning up the Command Center after I was freed from Zedd's control. This box contained indentations from the Power Coins, but also had a map with it. At the time we couldn't be bothered to look into it as we had more pressing concerns with Lord Zedd and the Machine Empire. And so the map was put into storage to be looked at later. Well, when Billy first asked me to track down new Rangers for the team I saw this as a chance to go investigate the location on the map. I had seen that it was located in a desolate and potentially dangerous place and didn't want to involve the others, but I wanted to discover all I could about the Power Coins and see if I could discover who created them. So I took the map and teleported out to the desert to check it out. While I was there I discovered a cave that contained the Temple entrance…"

Joshua was unsure where this Temple was supposed to be located. He seemed to be at a dead end with no clues as to where the doorway was. He wasn't even sure it was here, maybe it had long since been abandon, or worse. The air was thick with a fog that seemed to hang in the cave, but there was no condensation on the walls. Josh pondered the situation for a moment and then decided to morph; maybe the armor's sensors could detect something. Pulling out his morpher he called on the Dragon's power, his body transforming in a burst of green light. He ran through the full spectrum of visual modes, but nothing seemed to help. He tried using his sonar, but the walls all resonated as solid. Finally he was reduced to running his hands over the walls looking for anything that might provide some answers. After a short period of searching, his hand passed through a section of wall obscuring it up to the wrist. Josh was puzzled by this; all his sensors were indicating that this portion of the wall was solid. He ran his hands over the anomaly getting an idea of how big this apparent opening was. After being convinced it was large enough to fit through he took a deep breath and stepped through the wall.

In a flash Joshua saw a sword coming at his head, he ducked as the blade grazed the top of his helmet. In a second he had pulled his Dragon Dagger out and was faced off against a being in ninja styled ranger armor. In his hands was a large ninja combat sword forged from blue steel, a golden N on the guard matched the emblems on his forehead and chest.

"I will not allow your evil to defile this temple." The ninja replied; his ominous voice echoing in the Temple. "Leave this place and tell your master to never come here again." He attacked Joshua who blocked with his dagger.

Joshua pushed him back trying to put some distance between them. The warrior charged back in with a series of spinning kicks. Josh managed to weave around them, finally jumping backward over the last kick going off a hand spring.

The warrior stepped forward launching a palm strike, Joshua quickly sidestepped his strike grabbing his arm and twisted it behind his back trying to gain control of the situation.

"What master?" Josh asked.

"Zedd." The warrior replied as he jumped from the ground sending both of them backward.

Joshua released him allowing him to sail over his head. The warrior landed the two of them poised to strike again.

"I don't want to fight you," Joshua replied. "And I certainly don't serve Zedd anymore."

"Lies!" he said rushing forward and striking with such force that Joshua was thrown to the ground. "I know what you've done!"

"What are you talking about?"

The warrior's sword was pointed at his throat. Josh knocked the sword away as he launched himself to his feet. Again the warrior swung his sword only to be blocked by the Dragon Dagger. "I'm not under Zedd's power anymore!" Josh said forcefully pushing against the warrior. "The Sword of Darkness has been destroyed."

"Prove it!" the warrior said.

"By letting you kill me?" Josh said as he jammed his foot in the warrior's chest and fell backward sending him flying into a wall. "Why should I trust you?"

The warrior leapt to his feet as Joshua charged in with a series of spin kicks and backhands. But the warrior sprung at him knocking his hands aside and launching a knee into his chest and throwing a double elbow strike to his head with his free arm. Josh's head was wretched back and forth as he fell to the ground. The warrior came down on him landing a knee in his solar plexus. Joshua convulsed as the air was forced out of his body. The warrior leaned forward holding his blade across Josh's neck.

Joshua dropped his dagger and knocked it away from his body. "I don't want to fight you," he coughed. He took a moment to catch his breathe. "I know I've done some horrible things, but right now we are missing three Rangers, Zedd is not going to wait for us to be ready to attack, and the only thing holding him back is the attack by the Machine Empire and I have no idea who to give these coins to. The map that was with the other five coins led to this place, if you won't help then I'll leave, but I refuse to fight you."

"Give me your Coin." The warrior replied.

Joshua complied. He touched the morpher causing it to open and release the coin, as he did so his body demorphed, the dagger disappeared from the floor. Carefully he removed it and handed it to the ninja. Taking it the warrior rose and stepped back sheathing his weapon. Joshua cautiously sat up trying not to make any sudden moves.

"You can relax," the ninja replied. "Without your coin you are no threat to me." He looked down at the coin rotating it in his hand. "I haven't seen this coin for over ten millennia, not since Rita's minions entered the temple and stole it."

Clutching the coin the warrior seemed to go into a trance for a moment as if he were communicating with another presence. He stood motionless for a moment, Joshua watched him not sure what to make of it. Then begging to move again he looked up at Josh, he seemed almost sad.

"Can we please talk? I have a lot of questions that the fate of the world hangs on and I think you're the only one who can answer them."

"You have remarkable determination and courage Green Ranger,"

"Joshua," he replied standing up. "My name's Joshua Raine."

"I am called Ninjor, and I forged the six Coins." He replied.

"Could you tell me what they are?"

"They are a gateway to the Construct, the conduit that leads to the Go-Dai."

"What do you mean?" Josh asked puzzled.

Ninjor crouched on his knees in a meditative posture; Joshua recognized it from Ninjitsu and also knelt. It was obvious this was going to be a long talk.

"What Zordon and others from Eltar have come to call the Morphing Grid is actually what we ancients call the Construct. Regardless of the label it is an arcane gateway so ancient that no origin has yet been found. Think of this gateway as a water pipe which is tapped into a reservoir, which we have come to know as the Go-Dai. What the Coins do is to tap into the Construct, like a pipe and draw out power that is traveling through the Construct from the Go-Dai. Now the Go-Dai is another mystery in itself, it is composed of three beings, Tiamat, the Storm Dragon, comprising the wind and water elements, and the Phoenix, who holds life and death which comprises the fire and earth elements. It is from these two beings that the Coins draw their power from. The Ancient Chinese referred to these as the Long Feng."

"But you said there were three beings, and the Go-Dai has a fifth element, void."

Ninjor was silent for a moment. "The fifth element is void, a darkness that consumes all life."

"So it's like death then?"

"No, death is a natural part of life, a continuous circle that carries on. Void destroys the cycle, it would destroy everything. The two beings Tiamat and Phoenix live in love and harmony, which is essential for good, but void does nothing but consume and destroy, it is powerful in and of itself and so balance is maintained."

"Is void more powerful?"

"Alone, yes, but when the other powers unite the two together are more powerful, but only if they are united. That is why the Power Coins were created, when used together they are the greatest power available. Yet only a select few can actually handle the full power of the elements, so I divided the full power between the six coins to protect the users from the overwhelming power."

"So why are all the Power Coins based on dinosaurs and not the elements?"

"You probably misunderstood me, when I said very few can handle the full power of the elements I meant any one single element. To handle more than one or all would likely kill a human; we're just not strong enough to handle that level of power. As the good side flows through life so these elements are present in all the creatures and beings in existence. The Power Coins you possess are created using aspects that dinosaurs possessed from the elements."

"So does that mean there is a limit on their power?"

"No, not in the sense that you are thinking of limited. It is true that the coins act as regulators to control the flow of energy, but that regulation of energy is based on the individual, not on the coin. However, it is also true that certain elemental aspects are stronger in a given coin than in another. For example, your Dragon Coin is not as strong in the element of Earth as some of the other coins, consequently for you to use strength derived from that element requires more focus and strength of mind than the Tyrannosaurs Coin or the Sabretooth Tiger Coin."

"What did you mean by the person controls the regulation of power; wouldn't that make the person the regulator?"

"No," Ninjor replied. "You do not understand because you rely on your technology." Ninjor pointed at Joshua's morpher. "The Power Coins are psycho-resonant devices which are suppose to work through a disciplined mind and year of meditation. The more disciplined your mind is the more of the power you can unlock. So you see the Coin is the regulator, but it's ability to do so depends on the person. Is everything else clear?"

"Who are you really?" Joshua inquired. "A moment ago you referred to 'we' rather than 'you' when talking about humans. Are you also a human?"

Ninjor chuckled a little, "I was once,"

"How is it then that you are over ten thousand years old?"

"For now let's stay on the subject of the Go-Dai, I may know you told me the truth concerning your loyalties, but that does not mean I know you."

"Fair enough, so what do I do about finding new Rangers?"

"Wait, hold on," Ashley started. "Did you ever find out what the deal was with him?"

"And what about our Morphers?" Billy asked.

"I'll get to that," Joshua replied. "Just be patient," he focused his thoughts, "So I asked him about finding new Rangers, and he told me about Adam and Ashley and that they both had a strong spirit to handle the power. But when it came to finding a leader…" he paused for a moment, "That's when things got really weird."

"The only way that you can give the Rangers the leader they need to help them in this dark time is to recover someone who is lost." Ninjor replied.

"What do you mean?" Josh asked confused. "Who's lost that needs to be recovered?"

"You need to bring Jason Scott back from death."

"What?" Josh replied with an awkward laugh. Ninjor appeared to be serious. "How could I possibly bring back the dead? You said yourself that life and death are a cycle."

"But I did not say it only worked one way."

"Okay, well I'm not sure what this involves, but if I can do that with Jason can't I bring them all back, and even my family?" his voice reflecting a sudden burst of hope.

Ninjor chose his next words carefully, "It's not that simple."

"Whatever I have to do I'll do it, I'll do anything to get them all back."

Ninjor sighed heavily. "Zack and Trini have already moved on and so have your parents."

"What do you mean moved on? Moved on from where?"

"There is a focal point, a merging of the three realms of Joukai, Makai, and Yochi."

"And what are those?" Kimberly asked.

"It's Japanese," Joshua replied. "It means Heaven, Hell, and Earth."

"Oh," she replied.

"So was Ninjor from Japan originally?" Adam asked.

"No, but when nations like Greece and Rome emerged bringing with them a greater reliance on technology and human creation over the achievements on the inner being he left to live in China and later would go on to spend time in Japan for the next two millennia. Then he left there when Japan had its industrial revolution and finally returned to the temple as the world fell more into slavery, as he put it, to their own shortsightedness."

"What does that mean? And how did Ninjor know all these things and yet not know you were free from Zedd's control?" Billy asked

"Science, according to Ninjor, has taken huge steps back by declaring certain things impossible or dismissing them as myth. As to your second question Ninjor gains knowledge through the Go-Dai through meditation, but the Dragon Coin has been in the clutches of evil for so long he said it was still tainted."

"So what does that mean?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm not sure," Josh replied pondering it for a moment. "He never said anything else beyond that."

"You should get back to your story," Jason said.

"Okay, so anyways he goes on to explain these three realms and the focal point."

"This focal point is sometimes referred to as the border between worlds. It is only from this point that you can extract the deceased and bring them back."

"So you're saying that Jason is still there?"

"Yes, and" Ninjor knew this would be hard for him, but he couldn't deceive him. "So is your brother Alex."

"What?!" Joshua exclaimed jumping to his feet. "We have to go right now!"

"There's more." Ninjor said solemnly. "While it is possible to enter this bridging of realms, you need to understand both of them have lost their lives. It isn't a simple matter to just regain a lost life; someone has to give part or all of their life to the individual."

Joshua sank back down, his mind racing with the possibilities. "Couldn't I still bring them both back?"

"If you choose to, yes, however the more you dilute your life energy, your Chi as it were, in the lives of others the weaker their spirit and, consequently, yours will be. If you do this you could bring them both back, but Jason won't be able to use the Power, none of you will be able to."

"So you had to choose?" Billy asked.

"How did you ever decide?" Adam asked.

"Does this mean you gave up your brother to bring Jason back?" Kimberly asked.

"Guys, calm down." Jason replied. "Let him finish."

With the group quieted down Josh began again, "So I asked Ninjor how long I had to decide and he told me that depended on the individual and how long they hung on to this world. He also told me that Jason had a role to play and it was not finished yet and it was likely that until the opportunity to complete his task had past he would not move on. I told him I would think about it and return when I had reached a decision."

"Is this what you were so upset about when I found you out by the memorial after you got back?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "I really wanted to help Jason, and my brother, but I was afraid, giving up part of my life force meant I would have a shorter life. I also struggled with this being my way to redeem myself instead of dealing with my past."

"That explains a lot," Kimberly said under her breath.

"So this is why you've been so withdrawn and vague for so long?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Joshua replied. "I didn't want to get you involved in all this."

"But why not?" Adam asked. "I'm sure that everyone would have been willing to help, and maybe we could have each given up a part of our lives to help them both."

The other Rangers nodded in agreement.

"I had thought that as well, but before I left I had to ask Ninjor what would be involved to get Jason or my brother back."

"You have to understand," Ninjor said as he returned the Dragon Coin to Joshua. "The only way to reach this realm is located in a Shaolin Temple deep in a forest of Japan; its location is completely hidden from the outside world. It is one of many Go-Dai temples scattered throughout the world, though one of the few still inhabited. There is a gateway there and there is also a sword, the Reitsuken."

"That means soul stealing, or soul taking blade." Josh added.

"The Reitsuken will allow you to enter into the realm, without it your body would perish, but it serves another dual role. It is both a protective weapon and a tool to transfer life from yourself to another."

"Protection from what?" Joshua asked.

"The Oni, the guardians of Makai. They walk among the border of the realms guarding against intrusion and seeking out the wicked dragging them into Makai."

"Why would they attack me? Is it because I use to serve Zedd?"

"No," Ninjor sighed. "To enter this realm is forbidden for a mortal. The powers of the Phoenix and Tiamat are not responsible for creating this world, they are extra-dimensional. The laws which govern the three realms are established by a far more ancient power."

"Who established the three realms?" Joshua asked.

"Even those few of us who are ancients do not know everything. I have spent my existence learning about the Go-Dai, not the origins of existence, such a matter is beyond me."

"So if I understand you then you are saying only a single person can enter and even then that person will face great danger if he is discovered."

"Yes," Ninjor replied. "And only you can decide if this is what you want to do with your life. But Jason is the only one who will be able to lead you to victory against Zedd's forces now that Zordon is gone."

"What did happen to Zordon?" Billy asked. "And who are these other ancients?

"Ninjor didn't know, but he is no longer in our dimension and no one knows how to bring him back." Josh replied. "At least no one I've met. As for the other ancients Ninjor never saw fit to tell me who they were."

"So does all this mean since you brought Jason back that your life has been shortened?" Kimberly asked.

"There is no short answer to that question, but I'll get to it soon." Josh replied.

"How did you end up deciding what to do?" Ashley asked.

"Actually I reached that decision a few months ago. I had been trying to find someone else to take the Tyrannosaurus Coin, but they were either too weak in spirit to handle the power or couldn't handle the responsibility. But as I continued to see the News and the state the world was descending into I couldn't help think this was not the world I wanted to bring my brother back to, and it would be so selfish of me to allow so many to suffer so I could have what I wanted. Things seemed pretty clear after that."

"So Yesterday morning when you said you found a solution to our team problem this is what you were talking about?" Kimberly asked.

"Yes, but I couldn't tell you, I mean how could I have? You would have tried to stop me, it took me months to wrap my mind around the possibility and accept it. I didn't have that kind of time to wait. I also didn't know how long it was going to take or if I'd even make it back, I just had to believe this was something I was meant to do."

"You know," Jason started. "We're going to need to work on being more open in general, we are a team, our strength is in working together."

"I know," Joshua replied. "And I'm sorry I've kept you all in the dark about this, I know it wasn't right, and I'll try to be more open in the future."

"It's not all your fault," Ashley said. "There were times I wanted to ask you about things, but I just didn't know how, so I said nothing."

"It's okay," Joshua replied. "Like Jason said we need to focus now on doing the right thing from this point so we will be a strong team."

"So, in the spirit of openness," Billy began. "Where were you all those times you were out looking for a Red Ranger these last few months?"

"I was training with Ninjor. I was learning the art of Ninjutsu."

"I thought you already knew Ninjitsu?" Adam asked.

"I do know the Ninjitsu fighting style, which is technically called Taijutsu, Ninjutsu is the original, authentic form, plus I was also learning all the other disciplines besides fighting."

"Other disciplines?" Adam asked.

"Like I said I really know Taijutsu, previously that is all I knew, but that is only one of the eighteen disciplines that makes up Ninjutsu."

"So what else did you work on?" Kimberly asked.

"Spiritual strength, various weapons, concealment, espionage, strategy and tactics, learning to understand your environment and how to use it, stuff like that."

"You learned all that in a few months?" Billy asked.

"I'm no expert," Josh replied. "But I had advanced considerably since I began. Ninjor had some very effective training techniques from a time before we had gyms and our modern Dojos."

"Is that where you got the techniques you used when you were working with those stone pillars?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, it's a form of meditation called Zazen. I actually started using trees for practice, but as I learned to work through the pain I needed something more resistant."

"So why all the extra training?" Adam asked.

"Ninjor was training me to be a true Shinobi so I could enter the boarder realm and return undetected."

"From what you told us earlier I guess you weren't totally successful though at avoiding the Oni." Ashley said.

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.

"I had to kill a few Oni to cover my tracks. Like I said, I'm no expert," Josh replied. "And I'll get to that part later."

"You looked pretty on top of things when you showed up in that fight earlier." Billy commented.

"Yeah," Josh paused for a moment as if distracted by another thought. "Something else happened while I was gone that was responsible for that, but let me resume my story. So Sunday morning when I told you I needed to leave I was going to meet Ninjor at the Shaolin Temple. So after I arrived I was greeted by a monk and led back into a room where Ninjor was. There was a gateway on the far wall and the sword, the Reitsuken. There was a stone table there too; it had the three realms inscribed on it. Earlier that day I had taken the cylinder that held Jason's ashes, I placed that and Power Coin on the table. I took hold of the sword and the gate opened…"

As the gate opened a bright light began to shine through the portal, mist began to roll out over the floor. Josh tried to peer in, but could not see past the blinding light.

"Remember once you enter this portal it will be as if you were dead, attachments that bind you to this world will be broken." Ninjor said.

"I left some of my Powers with another Ranger." Joshua replied. "Will those be affected?"

"Those powers will become theirs when you enter the portal and will not return to you until you have come back from death yourself."

"So then my Dragon Coin will be useless on the other side?"

"Yes," Ninjor replied.

"How did you stay connected to Kimberly then, if all the ties were broken?" Billy asked.

"I didn't say my ties were broken," Joshua replied. "Attachments were broken."

"What's the difference?" Ashley asked.

"Physical and spiritual is the difference." Josh sighed he could already tell this was going to be a complicated explanation. "I should just explain from the beginning. When you form a relationship with someone a deep bond is formed more than mere physical presence connects you, hence the reason you remain close even when separated by a great distance. When someone dies you do not lose this bond, but because the human mind has the aspect of the unknown when it comes to death it believes that the person is gone and the pain in mourning is created by the individual breaking that bond on their own. If you realize that the person is not really gone for good it is easier to continue on, they still exist, just not on Earth. Attachments however, are based in the realm of Earth, things we possess we can become attached to, and in rare cases, such as the Power Coins things can become attached to us, but that attachment is based on a physical object that has no spirit essence. So when the object is gone so is the attachment. Still the Coins have an aspect of inherent spiritual energy because the Go-Dai is a spiritual force, so while I lost the physical manifestation of those powers, I still carried the spiritual manifestation of my powers."

"So how does that work when you left your powers with Kimberly?" Billy asked. "If the Green Ranger Powers connected you wouldn't they break that connection when you went through the gate?"

"No, because I left my physical powers with Kimberly, they became hers when I went through the gate, but the spiritual connection that was strengthened when I gave her my powers remained. It would be easier to say that the powers forged a stronger bond between us, not that the powers were the bond between us. You have to understand that deep spiritual bonds can be broken by our will, but not by death. Even our life force would be considered a physical attachment, and that force, the Chi, is what the Power Coin's physical attributes bond with. I think that's the best I can explain it."

"I guess that makes more sense." Billy replied. "But I get the sense you've talked more deeply with Ninjor than what you're recounting."

"I'm just giving you the highlights," Josh smiled. "We don't have time to go over everything he and I discussed."

"It's all over my head, "Ashley replied, "But whatever works."

"Well then I'll continue." Joshua said. "So I'm standing in front of the gate…"

"So I'm defenseless essentially?" Joshua asked.

"I will stay here and meditate, so you will be able to draw on my spiritual strength as well as your own, you will be far from defenseless. However, the Dragon Coin must stay here, in this world, should it pass into the other realm it will be lost forever."

Joshua nodded; he took his morpher out and handed it to Ninjor. With a deep breath he stepped through the gate. As he emerged on the other side he was frozen for a moment captivated by the peaceful tranquility of this place. The air was clear, yet the sky was white giving the realm an appearance of having a heavy mist surrounding it. The gentle hills of the valley were covered in grass which appeared to be an off white color, cherry blossom trees were spread across the landscape seeming to be perpetually showering the ground with their petals, yet the trees were not growing bare, and the petals seemed to evaporate as they lay on the ground. The sheer beauty of this place brought a tear to his eye, and he struggled to recapture his breathe.

"You need to find some cover," Ninjor's voice echoed in his mind. "The Oni will have sensed the breach."

"Okay," Josh barely managed to whisper. Slowly he began to move off into the trees to hide his presence.

"No!" Zedd's tone was furious.

Goldar cowered as Zedd brooded. Having reported the news the Hephaestus's defeat, and that both the Green Ranger and the Red Ranger were present had not been taken well by Zedd.

"Forgive my failure master," Goldar said bowing, his face on the ground. "It will not happen again."

"Understand this," Zedd vented, "If you fail me again it will be the last time."

Goldar trembled understanding the weight of Zedd's words. Though terrified he ventured one last piece of news. "It seems that the Pink Ranger had the Green Ranger's powers master."

"What?" Zedd responded, interested by this news. "Explain yourself."

"When the Rangers attacked us the Pink Ranger had the Dragon Shield and Dagger."

Zedd sat down on his throne for a moment collecting his thoughts. This was an interesting development; could the Pink Ranger actually be more involved with this Green Ranger as well? As Zedd perused his thoughts; something came to his mind that filled him with a twisted sense of delight.

"I want all of you to be mindful of the interaction between the Pink Ranger and our own traitor. Do not kill either one of them without my approval."

Zedd's minions looked at one another puzzled, but nodded in compliance. Astronema couldn't help but wonder what it was that Zedd knew and wasn't telling them.

"Lokar, Astronema," Zedd said, "Repair Finster, and improve on his design."

"Yes Master," Lokar replied leaving the room. Astronema followed behind him.

"What is our next move Master?" Ecliptor asked.

"I have a small matter to attend to that may end all our problems with these Power Rangers. But I have a special task for you Ecliptor."

"Of course my Lord," Ecliptor responded.

Josh had climbed up into a tree watching the location where he had entered into this world. His body had changed in appearance, his clothes, and whole body for that matter had become a translucent white as if he were a mist in this world. This helped to conceal him as he sat among the tree's blossoms.

"What are you doing?" Ninjor asked.

"I want to see what these Oni are."

"Be careful," Ninjor said, "Should one of their blades pierce you your soul will be torn from you and cast into Makai."

"I thought Oni had clubs," Josh replied.

"Not all myth is grounded in fact. Oni actually possess flaming swords, and that fire can also be used like a whip."

"Thanks for the warning,"

"Quiet, they're approaching."

Joshua peered out through the blossoms of the tree. But he couldn't see anything. Then, barely perceivable fiery red shadows began to creep over the ground. Though hard to even see Joshua could make out the rough shape of the creatures, human like in stature yet long protrusions, possibly horns, spread out from the sides of their heads, or possibly their backs, it was hard to make out. There appeared to be about seven of them, but with the interactions between the shadows it was hard to tell. After moments the shadows split into two groups and headed off in different directions. Joshua sat motionless until Ninjor's voice broke his silence.

"They've moved on, you're safe for the moment."

"Why couldn't I see them?" Josh asked.

"They're concealed," Ninjor replied. "They only seek the wicked, but operate in stealth to avoid disturbing the other souls in this place."

"With the way they go around they could really sneak up on you,"

"That's the idea," Ninjor said. "You better get going, the longer you tarry the more dangerous your situation will become."

Josh jumped down from the tree; taking a moment to look around he began to proceed toward where Jason and his brother were suppose to be.

"Well," Joshua said. "After spending several hours exploring and avoiding the Oni I finally came to an encampment of souls so to speak…"

Josh was lying on a hill looking down upon a group of souls. They still appeared as they did in life, even down to the clothes they wore. It seemed peculiar to Josh as his body had changed to more of a mist-like state, it must be some effect of the Reitsuken. Josh was about to start his descent when he felt a hot wind blow in from behind him.

"Look out!" Ninjor shouted.

Josh rolled out of the way and onto his feet as darkness swirled around him, the world outside was blotted out. "What's going on?"

"The Oni, they're shrouding you from the eyes of others so no one sees what they're about to do."

Josh drew the Reitsuken, the pale blue-green light doing little to illuminate his surroundings. There was nothing but silence. Then emerging through the darkness, as if breaking the surface of water, the Oni appeared. Four of them surrounded Joshua; their swords in their hands illuminated their fearsome features. Their head and body seemed to lack any discernible neck, yet the head came forward like some fierce lizard, the mouths partially opened revealing several rows of fang-like teeth, a forked tongue flickered from the mouth. Long curved horns extended from the back where the head met the body. A fiery red mane ran down their backs. Their leathery red skin was pierced in several locations around joints by claws that seemed to be moving.

"For trespassing into the domain of the dead you will be thrown into hell." One of the Oni spoke, its voice deep and gravelly, like the roar of fire.

"I have business here. The world will be destroyed if I didn't come, and if I don't finish what I am doing."

"There are many worlds," the Oni replied. "Your mortal concerns are of no consequence to us."

Joshua could see that this was getting him no where. As he stood in the darkness, the Oni surrounding him, Joshua prepared for battle. He focused his mind silencing his thoughts and reached out with his senses, slowly he breathed in the moment. There was a quiet moment as they faced off, Josh was trying to be mindful of the two Oni he had to his back as he could not watch them all at once. A barrier of liquid, like water, began to swirl around Josh.

"This is the best I can do to help protect you." Ninjor said.

The Oni watched for a moment more, assessing him, and then began to move in cautiously. As they moved in Ninjor began to sense something terrible.

"Josh, the veil of darkness, not only is it a barrier, but it is connect to each Oni, you are trapped in the confines of their presence, there is no way to get behind them."

This was even more bad news, Josh was already doubting his Tai Chi would be of any use in this realm, and the Oni did not seem to be producing any aura that he could identify. It seemed he would have a severe handicap in this fight. Josh swung at the Oni in front of him, the first in line blocked with his sword, the other moved in to strike. Josh jumped over his attack, the Reitsuken rolling off the other sword. As he was in mid jump the other Oni released their flame tendrils in a whip attack. Josh brought his sword around to block, the flames tangled around his sword. As he landed he launched a back kick at one of the Oni. The kick landed against its chest and the creature stumbled back, but it did not seem to even be phased by his attack. Josh pulled his sword back hoping to pull the other two Oni near him, but their flaming tendrils were snuffed out severing their grip on him.

There was a sudden flash as another Oni took a swing at him, he turned too late to react, the blade fell, but the barrier rushed into a single place and deflected the attack. Josh swung at the Oni, the Reitsuken grazing the leathery hide. The Oni roared as the blade seared a black gash in its flesh. Even with such a subtle wound the blade began to glow a little brighter as the weapon drank in the Oni's power. This did not escape the Oni's notice. All four Oni charged him; Josh had no choice but to drop flat on the ground. As the swords swung through where he had been he rolled and kicked the butt of one of the hilts forcing the sword into the Oni who held it. The blade sunk in deep, but the Oni did not seem to react. Instead it pulled the weapon from its torso leaving no trace that the sword had pierced it. Josh pushed off the ground landing his feet on the barrier created by the Oni, his hands still on the ground. The Oni on both sides slashed at his mid section. Josh managed to push off the barrier and ground at the same time and flipped over the swords he could feel the fire pass near his back, barely missing him. As he came down he brought his sword around and cut through the top of the Oni's neck. Josh cringed as he felt a sharp pain in his mind. An image flashed in Joshua's mind, he could see a Mega Zord locked in combat with Zedd.

"Joshua," Ninjor called.

"I know, I saw it too," he replied as the blade tore through the Oni, its head falling to the ground. The Reitsuken glowed brilliant as the weapon drank in the power of the Oni, its body evaporating. The other Oni considered their next move for a moment not realizing Josh was temporarily weakened.

"What shall we do?"

"Go," Joshua replied. "I can make it on my own here."

"Are you certain?" Ninjor asked.

"If they die then this was all for nothing." Josh replied as he turned to face the remaining Oni, keeping his back to the new shape of the barrier he could almost see all three at once. He wasn't sure he could do this alone, but he had seen the image in his mind clearly, the Rangers were facing Zedd, and without help they did not have a chance. Josh could feel Ninjor leave, as he did the barrier around him disappeared. The Oni saw this opportunity and took it. As they rushed forward they swung and twirled their sword furiously, the trail of flame arcing from the blades. Josh parried the one in front of him and leapt forward to avoid the other two pushing against the first Oni as he did so forcing him back. This made things awkward for Josh as the dimensions he had for fighting had now been reduced to a narrow triangle. The Oni chose to capitalize on this. The two behind him rushed forward staying close together. The one in front attempted to skewer Josh. However, Josh flipped back going over the attack of the two behind him, as his feet contacted the barrier he launched himself off the wall at the Oni in front of him. As he soared forward the Oni released his flaming tendrils which tangled around Josh's neck. The Oni gave the whip a sharp crack throwing Joshua into the ground. Josh leapt up as the other two Oni were coming down on him, but the other yanked the whip pulling Joshua toward him. Joshua managed to turn and cut the flame, however, still off balance he fell forward; twisting his body he shifted enough to allow the sword to pass between his arm and torso. The fire's heat seared his soul, and his body landed against the Oni causing both to stagger back. The claws on the Oni's body began to tear at Josh. Joshua ignored the pain and took advantage of his position and plunged his sword into the Oni's side just as the Oni was bringing its sword up to slash Josh's throat. As the Oni dissolved Josh was thrown back as the barrier closed in further. Like being slammed between two brick walls he was thrust between the two remaining Oni. The three stood shoulder to shoulder, Josh wasted no time in jumping, launching a split kick. The blows landed against the Oni's shoulders and pushed them back giving Josh a little more room. Joshua noticed that the Reitsuken now had a green flame running along the blade; the sword seemed to be growing in power with each Oni he defeated.

The remaining two Oni contemplated the situation. He had already defeated two of them, but he was now trapped in a corridor and at best would have an Oni on both sides, as facing either one would result in turning his back on the other. It was obvious to Josh that these were not brute beasts without intellect and by their laws he was the intruder. It didn't feel right to be killing them, but he had to get to Jason regardless of the cost.

Both Oni moved in bringing their swords down in an arc. Josh dropped and put his sword up to block, his other hand holding against the back of the blade. As the weapons clashed blinding light radiated from the points of contact. Josh struggled to hold his stance with the force of two Oni bringing their swords down.

"We have you now." The Oni said.

Josh recognized the truth of those words. He was not in a position to do anything, the only direction he could go was up, and the weight of both swords pressing down was requiring all his strength to hold back, but he could only do this so long, he could already feel himself weakening. He kept playing his last move back in his head, there wasn't much else he could have done, but this didn't seem to be working either. What he needed was a way to get out of his situation. As Josh weakened his arms began to move down, the Oni leaning in to bring their weight to bear even more forcefully. Suddenly Joshua's world flashed.

As he looked around he was standing in the Temple of Power where he had first me Ninjor. Ninjor was standing before him, his helmet removed, his face old, and tired, yet his green eyes still held great strength and wisdom. His head was devoid of any hair, save for a small gray beard on the base of his chin, and a scar ran down his left cheek.

"You are human," Josh said in amazement. He had forgotten about his current plight.

"I have only a moment," Ninjor replied. "Your friends are safe, but I was unable to defeat Lord Zedd. I am mortally wounded. I do not have much time left. I am passing my spirit to you Green Ranger. You will be the guardian of the power."

"But…"

Ninjor raised his hand to stop him, "You are a fine warrior Joshua Raine, my time has passed, now you must carry on against Zedd, so I leave you with all the knowledge and power collected over my many millennia to aid you in your own battles, use it well.

With those words Ninjor dissolved into a brilliant light, as it washed over Joshua he could feel all that was Ninjor flowing into him. As the light faded Joshua was once again on his knees holding back the Oni's attacks. His heartbeat became loud like the rumble of thunder with every beat. He pushed back the Oni's weapons; both of them staggered back unsure what to make of the situation. Josh rose to his feet. His chest sprouted an orb glowing with white flame, from the orb a dark green liquid began to flow over his body covering him like a wetsuit. Bones began to form over his body like an exoskeleton, the bones were dragon like extending in claws from his fingers, the dragon skull incasing his head like a helmet. A boney crest formed over his shoulder reminiscent of his Dragon Shield. His eyes opened glowing a fierce orange. He plunged the Reitsuken into the ground generating his own barrier which warped the Oni's barrier. They now stood in a circle, streams of energy radiated from the Reitsuken illuminating these boundaries in strange glyphs. The web of the sword spread though the air creating points of contact between Josh and the Reitsuken throughout the plane. He released his grip on the weapon and faced his opponents. The Oni were not sure what to make of this new development and cautiously moved toward one another to give themselves a united front.

Josh charged them. The Oni swung their swords, but Joshua grabbed them with a single clawed hand, his left hand pressed against one of the Oni which burst forth in flame. The Oni crumbled to ash as the flame consumed it. The last Oni turned to run, Josh knew if he let it go there would be more after him. Reluctantly he launched a tendril from his wrist, the bones raced forward like a dragon's tail. The tendril speared through the Oni's body. As he drew the Oni back Josh summoned the Reitsuken which leapt from the ground into his hand.

"I'm sorry," Joshua said as he cut the Oni's throat. As the Oni dissolved the world around him lightened as the darkness cleared away. Josh's body reverted to what it had been. As he looked around he could see that the ground was blackened where the Oni had fallen, but even now the grass was being washed clean, its white luster being restored. Josh could see the souls below, apparently unaware of the battle that had just taken place above them.

Joshua descended from the hill into the group of souls below. They were sitting on various rocks that were among the trees, some sat on the ground. The interesting thing Joshua noticed was that despite the obvious difference in cultural appearance everyone seemed to be speaking the same language. As Joshua approached closer one of the souls greeted him.

"Welcome friend," the man said. He looked as if he was from an African Tribe, but Josh wasn't sure.

"Greetings," Josh replied. "If you could help me, I'm looking for Jason Scott and Alex Raine?"

The man did not say another word but pointed over toward a stream that was flowing through the valley. Joshua could see several more souls by the edge looking out over its clear, glassy surface.

"Thank you," he replied and headed toward the stream.

As he approached one of the souls stood up and turned toward him. It was his brother Alex. Josh ran to him.

"Alex!" he exclaimed throwing his arms around him, tears began to run down his face.

"Josh, I was worried about you." Alex said embracing him. "I've heard some bad things about you since I've been here."

"Unfortunately what you heard is probably true to a degree." Joshua said. "That thing that attack us, his name is Zedd, a tyrant trying to conquer the universe. He took me to use as his Green Ranger to destroy the Power Rangers, and if it weren't for a last effort by Jason, Billy, and Kimberly," Josh suddenly realized this information did him little good. "The Red, Blue, and Pink Rangers I would have succeeded and still been under Zedd's control."

"Is that so?" another voice spoke up.

Joshua released Alex and looked up to see Jason walking toward him. Josh was uncertain how Jason would react to seeing him, it had been at the back of his mind, but he hadn't given it much thought until now.

"So did you finally get killed?" Jason asked.

"No," Joshua replied. "I'm not dead. I came here to bring you back."

"What?" Jason replied.

"What are talking about?" Alex asked.

"Like I was telling you, after I killed Jason under Zedd's control Billy managed to knock the Sword of Darkness," he paused realizing again that neither of them knew exactly what he was talking about. "The Blue Ranger knocked that curved sword out of my hand and into the volcano, when it was destroyed Zedd's hold was broken. Since then I've been working with the others to rebuild the team and guard against Zedd."

Jason looked conflicted; Alex seemed to be shocked by all of this.

"I don't expect you to trust me outright," Joshua replied. "But I found the creator of our Power Coins and he told me I needed to come to this place and bring you back, that you were our only hope for this war. Jason, we need you."

"How can you just bring someone back from the dead?" Jason asked.

"By using this," Joshua held out the Reitsuken, "I can give you a portion of my life force." He turned to Alex, "And even you too brother. Moments ago I inherited an even greater life force, I'm certain there is enough to give you both your lives back."

Jason was quiet. Alex thought for a moment and then spoke, "Josh, I can't go back."

"Of course you can!" Josh said, his eyes tearing up. "I want you to come back."

"If everything you say is true what kind of life would I have? Mom and Dad are already gone, I would have left with them, but I couldn't until I found out for sure that the rumors I heard weren't true, and that you were okay. But being here for so long has given me a whole new view on everything. It's like you were always saying, there is a balance to life, and my life has ended. It would be greedy to cling to life when my role in it has ended. And I don't want to take life from you Josh, your life is yours to live."

"I agree," Jason said.

"Alex," Josh started.

"Josh, I'm at peace with this now, I have to move on, I can't go back with you." Then he turned to Jason, "You always said you wanted to protect your friends and family, that it was your job to save the world. Here's your chance, if my brother says you are the only chance they have then you need to go. I've been here with you for some time, and I can tell by the way you talk you're not done yet Jason, you know you're not." Jason carefully pondered what he said. Alex turned back to Joshua. "I need to depart now. Now that I know you're okay I need to join Mom and Dad."

"I wish we had more time," Joshua replied trying to hold back his tears.

"When your life is finally done we'll have all the time you could ever want." Alex said.

The two of them embraced. "Tell Mom and Dad I love them." Josh said tears streaking his face. "I love you."

"I love you too," Alex said. "And I'm proud of you, I've always looked up to you, I know you'll find a way to defeat Zedd."

As they spoke Alex began to dissolve into white light, his spirit passing on to Heaven.

"Goodbye brother," Alex said.

"Goodbye," Josh replied. Josh dropped to his knees taking a moment to collect himself. There was a moment of silence as the two stood there dealing with their own thoughts. Josh finally rose, wiping the tears from his eyes he looked at Jason. "I need to know what your decision is, the longer I stay here the greater danger I am in."

"I'll go," Jason replied.

Joshua forced a smiled and held out the Reitsuken toward Jason. "You need to take this and plunge it through my heart."

"What?!" Jason replied in shock. "I'm not going to stab you."

"It's how this thing works," Joshua replied as he gripped the blade and held the tip over his heart. "I don't think it'll hurt, just take the hilt and push in."

Jason reluctantly took hold of the hilt and began to push the sword in. Josh could not even feel the blade going through his body. Jason forced the blade in up to the guard. The blade suddenly began to glow brightly, as did the web of black and white crystal lace. The two of them began to pulsate with each beat of Joshua's heart. The pulse was soft at first, but with each beat it grew in intensity, and as it did the world around them began to fade. Then with a final pulse the world was washed away and the two of them were standing in the room at the Shaolin Temple. Joshua removed the sword from his body and returned it to its stand. As he placed it back the gate closed and the two of them were left standing in the room. Joshua picked up the black bag on the table and opened it. He removed the cylinder that once contained Jason's ashes, but as he opened it he could see it was empty.

"What is that?" Jason asked.

"It was your cremated remains." Joshua replied. He dug into the bag and pulled out a morpher with the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin in it. "I believe this belongs to you." He said handing it to Jason.

Jason took hold of the morpher, a sense of nostalgia filled him; he took a deep breath unaccustomed to even the simple act of breathing.

"I never thought I'd see this again." Jason paused for a moment holding the morpher in his hand.

"I believe this is also yours," Joshua said handing him his communicator.

Jason strapped it to his wrist. As he was doing so Josh noticed his own Morpher lying on the floor where Ninjor had been meditating. He quietly walked over and picked it up. He looked at it for a moment as if contemplating something, but then put it away.

"So what's our next move?" Jason asked.

"First there are two things we need to go take care of, then we'll rejoin the others."

The still silence of the Go-Dai Temple of Power was shattered as a crimson portal opened. Lord Zedd stepped through into the Temple. The gateway closed behind him. It had to be here somewhere, the Source, the relic that tapped into the Morphing Grid and allowed the Power Coins to function. Zedd searched the few rooms of the small Temple, but could find nothing, if it was still here it was hidden. It did not matter, if it was here it would make his task easier, if not he would simply have to kill all the Rangers. Zedd removed a small orb from his armor and cast it on the floor; he turned and stepped back through the portal, the doorway closing behind him leaving the Temple in darkness. Moments later the Temple and everything within a mile was atomized as the sphere expanded dismantling the atomic structure of everything it touched.

"Where are we?" Jason asked.

"This is the Go-Dai Temple of Power, this is where Ninjor took refuge and hid the remaining Power Coins after Rita had discovered one of the other Temples."

Jason looked around. The Temple was small having only the main hall which appeared to be for training purposes, and three rooms, spread around the remaining three sides of the Temple. To the right was a small room with a cot and a mat for meditation, the left had several metal working tools, some that Jason did not recognize. Joshua proceeded to the room directly ahead of the entrance they had come through.

"What are you going to get?" Jason asked.

"The Source," Joshua replied. "It's the device that Ninjor made to tap into the Morphing Grid, or what they called the Construct which allows the power of the Go-Dai to reach our universe."

"They had that kind of technology back then?"

"This is beyond anything we even have today," Josh replied. "This is an advanced form of crystalline metallurgy that works by tapping into the extra-dimensional power of the Go-Dai through the Construct. The Source is like a converter that transforms the energy to a form that we can use and then transmits it to the coins so to speak. Then the coin regulates the power to the body's aura, infusing it into the Chi, this allows us to transform as the energy takes physical form."

"Then what are the morphers for?"

"Quick results," Josh replied as he grabbed a white pyramid shaped object from its pedestal. The surface was smooth and appeared to be made of white crystal; several circles were carved into the sides in various patterns, the groves of which had been filled with another substance that shone with many colors, yet it appeared to be a unified object. He walked back into the main room.

"What do you mean by quick results?" Jason asked.

"The Power Coins were never meant to be used by just anyone. It takes years of training and discipline to use the Power. The Morphers, both those created by Zordon, and the one Rita's minions created to use the Dragon Coin generate an artificial spirit, if you will, that influences the abilities and effect of the power on a person. Basically it gives the power form without the need of years of training to direct it, but it also limits what you can do with the power."

"Hold up," Billy cut in. "If the Morphers were developed separately, why are they so similar?"

"Well," Josh began. "I'm sure you've noticed that the Green Ranger powers are different from yours. I have a shield, the ability to discharge energy in several forms and I can control my Zord without being in it. In effect I use more power when I'm morphed. This also makes the Green Ranger powers more dangerous and limits the individual who can use them. And though I can not be certain, since the Dragon Coin belonged to one of Rita's minions before she was imprisoned by Zordon, and I know that Zordon and those with him fought with the Green Ranger and the Dragon Zord, it is my guess that Zordon used his knowledge of the Green Ranger's Morpher when he discovered the other Power Coins, though it seems that his morphers were more limited to make them safer to use."

"I guess I'll have to wait until those files are decrypted to see if there is any useful information in them," Billy replied.

"I'd be interested in whatever you find," Joshua said. "I have memories of the original Green Ranger, but with so many millennia having passed the memories are really faint."

"So what did you do with the pyramid thing?" Kimberly asked.

"We hid it," Jason replied. "Somewhere Zedd will never find it."

"Can't he track the output, the signal it sends out?" Billy asked.

"I doubt it," Josh replied. "Nothing known to Ninjor can track the energy signature; it doesn't seem to work like anything else we're familiar with."

"So where did you go after that?" Ashley asked. "You said you had two things to do, right?"

"Oh, you're going to love this." Jason said with a smile.

Josh laughed. "Well with all the knowledge I had received from Ninjor I became aware of another Zord, Titanus. It seems Zordon knew about it, it just wasn't needed yet. So we retrieved it."

"What does it do?" Adam asked.

"Well currently it is a mobile gun platform for the other Zords. It combines with the Mega Dragon Zord to form the Ultra Zord. But in this case the Mega Dragon Zord is little more than an added power supply for the massive weapons on the Ultrazord, but I'm sure Billy can come up with some creative modifications to allow us to use it more effectively."

"I'll do my best," Billy replied. "I'll have to look into the specs and then I'll get on that right away. I'll have to put the new weapons I was working on, on hold for a bit though."

"I could use someone who can bring me up to speed." Jason said. "The Command Center is completely different, and Josh mentioned something about a Machine Empire?"

"Come on Jason," Billy said. "You can help me with Titanus, and I'll get you up to caught up."

"Alright," Jason replied. "But I also want to get acquainted with our new Rangers too."

"Why doesn't everyone just come then?" Billy suggested.

"Can you give us a minute," Kimberly said motioning to Josh.

"Yeah," Billy replied, "Just join us in the Tech Center when you're ready."

As the other Rangers left the main chamber to Billy's workshop Kimberly stood quietly, her arms crossed. Josh was already questioning her with his eyes, but he could tell from her look that she wanted to talk privately. As the others left Kimberly walked closer to him.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked.

"Are you okay?" she asked a little awkwardly. "I mean with your brother not choosing to come back? And then Ninjor dying, were you two close?"

"Yeah," he sighed, yet still smiled. "I'm okay. I know I'll see them all again someday. Ninjor is still with me though, and he will be as long as I live."

"Just remember you're not alone, you have us," she said playfully nudging him.

"I know," he replied putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. "Was there anything else?"

"You never did answer my question about what happened to your life energy, I mean how long are you going to live?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I might be immortal now like Ninjor or maybe I still have my original lifespan or maybe less. It's one of those mysteries that I can't directly answer."

"Well I hope it'll be a long time before we find out." she said leaning her head against him. She could feel his heart beating. She wanted to tell him that she missed him, but it seemed so strange that she felt this way, he was only gone a day, maybe it was all the uncertainty and the battles that had her so mixed up. She needed time to sort out these feelings. Still the beating of his heart was soothing to her.

"Was there anything else?" Josh asked.

"Huh? No, that was it," she said with a smile.

"We should rejoin the others then,"

She nodded and the two walked off into the other room to join the rest of their team.

Zedd stood on the Balcony of his Palace Fortress looking down on the Earth below. It sickened him that the conquest of such an insignificant world had been delayed for so long, largely because of a conspiracy in his own Empire. His eyes burned as he thought about it. No world had ever had this long to prepare for his wrath, not that it would slow him down, but it was still going to take more time, and he had already lost too much time. Perhaps he should merely destroy this planet and move on, his Empire had plenty of slave worlds one more wouldn't make a difference. Zedd thought for a moment and then reached out to Astronema.

"Astronema," Zedd beckoned.

"Yes my Master?"

"What is the status on installing the reactor in Serpentera?"

"It is taking longer than we had thought my Lord. The system was not compatible with Serpentera. We are working on it as fast as we can. However, with this project, and working on the Bio-reactor we are spread thin."

"Then forget the Bio-reactor for the moment, his punishment can wait. Get Serpentera operational as soon as possible."

"Yes my Lord."

Something needed to be done to keep the Rangers occupied until he was ready to strike with his full power. He had hoped to save his newest minions for something more important, but it seemed that buying time and keeping the Rangers off balance was needed now.

"Well that should give us a few more options," Billy replied looking over the four new modifications he had made using Titanus.

"It looks good Billy," Jason said.

"Better get the machines working on it right away, no telling when Zedd is going to make his next move." Joshua said.

"Already working on it," Billy replied.

"You don't think he'll be set back by all those Putties he lost and then Hephaestus being lost as well? Not to mention we took down Cyclopsis while you were gone." Adam asked.

"I don't want to discourage anyone, but of Zedd's vast armies, we've only scratched the surface." Joshua replied.

As if it were some ominous sign of his words the alarm sounded in the Command Center.

"That's creepy," Kimberly said.

"I think it's time," Jason said.

The six of them filed out into the main chamber. Beta was already interfacing with the main counsel.

"Beta, bring up visual." Billy said.

"Can not comply, too many visuals present, please specify."

A silence fell among the Rangers; the color leaving their faces. Billy collected his thoughts. "Beta, bring up the deployment of hostile forces on the world map."

"Compliance."

The Rangers were horrified to see multiple large masses on the map covering several square miles each. There were five in all, one, in the area of Chad Africa was growing rapidly. The others were scattered with one on the East Coast of the United States around the capital, the others in Kazakhstan in Asia, Australia, and Bolivia in South America.

"How are we suppose to deal with all that?" Ashley asked sinking into one of the chairs.

"Beta, scan for large power signatures within each army." Joshua said.

"Are you thinking what I am?" Jason asked.

"Cut off the head and the body dies." Josh replied.

"What are you two talking about?" Ashley asked.

"They're talking about taking out the generals, Zedd's leaders." Billy said.

"Do you really think that will be enough?" Adam asked.

"No," Josh replied. "But with the heads of the armies destroyed it gives Earth's militaries a better chance."

"Five signatures detected," Beta said.

"Bring those up on screen," Billy said.

The display brought up the five warriors, Olympius on the East Coast, Vypra in Bolivia, Trakeena in Chad, Diabolico in Kazakhstan, and Loki in Australia. The Rangers stood in shock at the sight of these creatures.

"Josh, who are these guys?" Jason asked.

"I've never seen these guys before," Josh replied his shock the same as the others.

"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked.

"Teams of three," Jason said. "We'll sweep West starting on the East Coast and South America and end in Africa where the largest army is."

"Can I suggest something?" Josh said.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Let me go on my own, that army in Africa is expanding fast, if we break into three teams then you can move East after finishing with the East Coast and South America and get to Africa sooner, I can handle the other two and then meet you there."

"No," Kimberly said. "You won't have any support."

"Jason," Josh began, "I don't like it anymore than you, but you've seen me fight, you know I'm right."

"Okay," Jason said. "Josh you'll go West. Kimberly you're with me in D.C., the rest of you are going to Bolivia. Everyone meet up in Africa, and don't waste your time with the whole army, get their leaders and get out, time is everything."

"Why are we saving the biggest force for last?" Billy asked. "At the rate it's growing shouldn't we go after that one first?"

Jason shook his head. "The other four armies are in cities. We may run a risk with this army growing, but for the moment that army is in the middle of nowhere. Either way we face a risk…"

"I understand," Billy said. "I guess your idea makes as much sense as any other plan would in this case. And it is more likely that the military can mount an unrestrained offensive against the force in Africa."

The Rangers looked around. Kimberly didn't like this at all, she knew Josh could probably handle things on his own, but his idea spread them all thin, both plans did. There was no time to argue though, they all knew the war had finally come and it was time to face the storm.

"Alright guys," Jason said looking around, the others nodded. "It's morphin' time."

As the teens transformed, they were teleported to their battle zones around the planet, the morning light was just creeping over the mountains around the Command Center.

Jason and Kimberly rematerialized in D.C. The air was already warming up and the sun was well above the horizon. They had materialized on a rooftop, which they were shocked to find was the Capital Building. Below was the Red Dragon creature they had seen in the Command Center surrounded by ghoulish creatures in black cloaks, in the morning light their translucent features were bleached out, but their twisted black blades were still easily seen. Jason made a quick estimate of about twenty of them in the immediate area. Jason looked over at Kimberly motioning with his head, she nodded in response. Manifesting their weapons they leapt from the roof and into the army below.

Billy, Adam, and Ashley landed in the middle of a large grouping of trees in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Straight ahead they could see the snake-like woman directing her minions, some type of snake-men. Billy recognized the connections to various species on Earth like the Green Viper, Cobra, and Black Mamba. All these species were deadly to humans on their own; there was no telling what they could do now. Behind the woman was the Santa Cruz Cathedral. All around them people were fleeing in terror, abandoning their vehicles. Some were snatched by the snake men as they ran. Suddenly the Rangers saw one of the creatures lift a woman from the ground and forced her down its unhinged jaws, her screams muffled as she was swallowed whole. There was a brief pause as the Rangers stood in mortified shock. Then almost as one the three charged forward, their weapons blazing into existence.

Joshua dropped into an open field in a residential area in Alice Springs of Australia's Northern Territory. It was night here, the sky dark, the temperature was cold, Josh hadn't considered that in the Southern Hemisphere that it was still winter. What disturbed Josh the most though was the lack of any visible presence of the enemy. He activated his communicator.

"Beta is my position right?"

"Please specify parameters for accuracy of location." Beta responded.

"Am I in the same place as the power signature?"

"Affirmative, target is one point three meters south of your position."

Joshua glanced at his display. It was behind him! Josh went for his Dragon Dagger and turned as the giant battle axe fell.


	5. Chapter 5

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-5-

Joshua barely managed to rotate his body as the axe fell. The razor sharp edge hit the left side of his shield creating a bright spark. The force torqued his body putting tremendous force on his left leg. The ground under him gave way. A thunderous boom like a meteor impact tore through the otherwise calm night as he sunk down. If it had not been for the soft ground and his armor his leg may have splintered. Even with it, his leg was still in pain as if he had just landed on it from a long fall.

Loki towered over him; standing over two meters tall, his thick arms were bigger around than Josh's torso. Yet the demon was confounded that his weapon had not cleaved this whelp in two. He bared his teeth in rage, the glow of his yellow eyes brightening.

Josh pushed the axe off his shoulder; it fell to the ground, the blade sinking in up to the shaft. He quickly sprung back making sure to land with most of his weight on his right foot.

"So it's just you then?" Josh asked trying to get the creature to reveal something about his forces.

"That's more than enough to deal with you mortal," Loki replied, his voice shaking the ground. Josh could feel vibrations through his armor as he spoke. It was obvious this creature wasn't going to reveal anything useful.

"It's your funeral," he replied.

Loki laughed. Spreading his massive black wings he hurled his battle axe like a boomerang at Joshua. Josh bent over backward as the weapon raced at him so fast it was barely perceivable, sparks flew from his shield as the weapon grazed it. Then, as if by magic, the weapon reversed direction. In a move of precognition Josh back flipped over the returning weapon. As it spun toward Loki the demon grabbed the shaft single-handed with no effort. From this single attack Josh had managed to assess the creatures speed and strength, regardless if he had a chance or not it was obvious that keeping this a ranged battle was futile. Josh also realized his Dragon Dagger and Blade Blaster were going to be of little use against such an enemy, the dagger was too small to effectively use to defend against his axe and the blaster would force ranged combat. If he could call the Dragon Zord he could always drown his enemy in star fire, with so many possibilities racing through his head he charged Loki. He may not have a plan, but he couldn't stand back and hope to win. As he charged he could sense the demon's aura, it was strong, now if he could only manipulate it. As he approached Loki flapped his wings and let out a deafening roar, the shear force of the wind he generated forced Josh to stop in his tracks robbing him of his momentum. As he paused Loki brought his axe down on him again. Josh tried to block with his dagger, but the massive axe slid off the dagger as Josh lacked the strength to hold it against the massive demon. As the axe slid off the dagger it sheared the side of Josh's helmet away as if it were nothing. The edge where the blade had cut was glowing red; the axe had barely missed his body, though Josh felt the knick to his ear and the warm blood that began to flow. The rest of the force impacted on his shield torquing his left side again. Though the blow was not as strong, his body was already in pain and this second blow added to his misery.

Josh focused his mind connecting with his Dragon Coin. In a blaze of green light his helmet reformed and green fire began to coarse over his fists and dagger. Loki paused for a moment; it seemed there was more to this mortal than he first thought, better to let his minions test him first.

As the two faced off Josh became aware of the sinister black mist that began to creep in, forms cloaked in darkness gathered around them both. As the mist thickened solid forms came through the shadows, still dressed in black cloaks, their pale faces became visible, bat-like features, eyes like a cat shone pale yellow in the moonlight. Blood ran down from their lips. There were already hundreds of them and more still converging on him.

Josh decided to take the initiative. With a quick slash of his dagger he caught several of the vampires; the fire spread quickly over them as the blade made contact. The vampires reeled back as the flames burned their bodies into ash. The other vampires, instead of being dissuaded, rushed forward. Josh tried to attack again, but as he struck the vampires faded into mist and his dagger passed through them harmlessly. Suddenly Josh was hit from behind, he stumbled forward going onto a knee, the pain in his body was excruciating. The vampires took advantage of his moment of weakness and swarmed in on him. Loki smiled as the Green Ranger was pulled under the tide of his minions. It appeared this fool was no more than a minor annoyance.

Jason and Kimberly soared toward the ground, Kimberly let loose several arrows falling three of the ghouls guarding Olympius. With loud shrieks the creatures evaporated as if they were little more than mist. Unfortunately this alerted Olympius to their presence; as they continued their descent Olympius attacked unleashing a blast of fire from his hand. Jason and Kimberly both passed through it landing safely on the ground. The armor was reading dangerously high temperatures, and as Kimberly and Jason looked at each other they could each see that the outer shell of their armor had been heated to a soft red glow.

"You handle those things, I'll take this guy," Jason said pointing toward Olympius.

"Okay," Kimberly nodded.

The two split, Kimberly charged the largest grouping of Ghouls while Jason, sword poised, raced at Olympius.

Kimberly let loose a barrage of arrows striking down several more Ghouls. According to her HUD only eleven were left, and no new threats seemed to be entering what the sensors considered the combat zone. It seemed odd to Kimberly that Zedd was using such weak forces, compared to the Putties these things were easy to kill. She tried not to let it distract her and launched another volley of arrows falling six more. The remaining Ghouls rushed in at her, their swords raised. Kimberly drew her Blade Blaster and prepared for combat. As the Ghouls closed on her she managed to deliver a high kick to the head of one sending it flying back. As her foot returned to the ground she slashed another across the chest, the shriek seeming much louder with it so close. As the Ghoul dissolved Kimberly felt something rake across her back. Then intense pain coursed through her body, her morph was destabilized for a moment as she saw ripples of pink energy pulse over her armor. She fell to her knees, this made no sense the armor showed she was fine, so why was the pain so intense? Another Ghoul slashed at her, she tried to block with her dagger, but the sword passed through it and then through the armor on her chest. As the agonizing pain flared again she began to understand that these weapons did not attack her body, but something deeper, and her weapons were useless to defend against their attacks. She fell to the ground twitching as the pain continued to pulsate through her being.

Jason dispatched the two Ghouls guarding Olympius as he charged forward. Fire, like a lance, sprayed from Olympius's hand producing a double sided pike. As Jason brought his sword down Olympius brought the shaft of the weapon up to block. Flame spewed from the contact as if the shaft were molten metal. As Jason continued to push against Olympius the demon bared his teeth, his glowing green eyes piecing Jason's soul.

"Give up human, your kind has never had the power to defeat mine." Olympius taunted.

"You'd be surprised what my kind can do," Jason replied as he pushed against Olympius's guard.

The demon moved slightly, but in this moment, as Jason had him off balance, he took hold of his lance and flipped him over his body throwing the demon onto the ground. The concrete cracked, the heat from the demon weapon burned Jason's hand even through the armor. As he hit, Jason brought his sword down on the creature's chest, but the blade stopped as it hit the demon's chest plate. Olympius noticed that the other Ranger was having difficulties as another Ghoul slashed her causing her to fall.

"Looks like your friend is finished," Olympius smiled.

Jason knew better, but he looked up despite his better judgment. He saw that Kimberly had fallen, but as he took his eyes off the demon Olympius knocked his sword away and grabbed his head in his monstrous clawed hand. Olympius rose to his feet still holding Jason by his head.

"Your kind will never win," Olympius reasserted. He threw Jason into the fountain. The force of Jason's impact sent chunks of stone flying and reduced the fountain to rumble, water ran out over the ground from underneath. Jason could feel pain in his neck, though the impact had been well absorbed by his armor. He struggled to stand.

"It's not over yet," Jason said as he drew his Blade Blaster and converted it to firing mode. Olympius prepared to defend as Jason raised the weapon. He let loose a volley of shots. However, the shots passed by Olympius, the closest only grazing his wing. The demon was amused.

"It seems it is over Ranger," The demon mocked. "You're so weak now you can't even hit your target."

"Who said I was aiming at you?" Jason said with a smile.

Olympius turned in time to see the blazing pink arrow that struck him in his shoulder. He gripped the wound as the arrow shaft sank halfway into his shoulder. Kimberly was staggering to her feet, breathing hard, her bow in hand. Jason took advantage of this moment and ran to retrieve his sword. Olympius ripped the arrow from his arm snarling as the barbed tip tore away flesh and scales; thick black blood oozed from the wound as if it were tar. As the arrow was removed Olympius snapped it in him palm and cast the pieces aside.

"You will pay for that mortal," Olympius snarled through his teeth.

Kimberly was trying to stand firm, but the agony persisted as if all her pain receptors where on overload. Struggling against her own impulses she drew back the bow string manifesting another arrow, her arm shook slightly as she tried to take aim. The demon only smirked at her apparent lack of strength. As she released Olympius brought up his pike and slashed, cutting the arrow in half in mid air. However this was all the time Jason had needed. The Red Ranger flew in from the side slashing at Olympius who was forced to duck. The sword cut the tip of his left horn off as he went down.

"You'll pay for that human," Olympius said.

"You talk too much," Jason said kicking the demon in the side.

Olympius slid across the concrete and into the steps of the Capitol building. Jason raced to Kimberly's side.

"You okay Kim?"

"I'll be alright," she assured him. "It's starting to hurt less."

"What did those things do to you?"

"I don't know, but my armor didn't help."

Olympius rose to his feet. "This has gone on long enough it's time to get rid of you,"

"That's funny," Kimberly replied, "I was thinking the same thing."

"You up to this?" Jason said under his breath.

"Always,"

The two raced at Olympius; the demon braced himself as they charged. Jason dropped into a slide kick knocking Olympius off balance. Kimberly launched a spinning crescent kick catching him in the head sending him toppling. She quickly rotated as she continued her spin and brought her heel down on the demon's head slamming his face into the concrete. The force of Olympius's impact shook the ground and fractured the concrete in a brilliant web pattern. The two Rangers flipped back for a moment to observe the out come. Olympius rose to his feet, flakes and powdered concrete falling off his body. His face was bloodied, but barely noticeable through the dust that clung to his viscous blood. Olympius spread his massive red wings and let out a deafening roar. As he retracted his wings the demon rushed in, pike out as if to skewer Jason. Jason and Kimberly both raced forward to meet him not wanting to lose the momentum they had gained. Jason met Olympius's pike with his own sword parrying it into the concrete. The pike cut into the concrete bringing him to a stop. In this instant Kimberly flipped over him, inverted she launched several shots which punched through the top of his shoulders. As she landed she fired several more arrows into the demon's back. Olympius dropped to his knees as Jason slashed his sword across the creature's neck. As the thick blood sprayed onto Jason's armor Olympius faded for a moment as Diabolico's words resonated in his mind.

"I do not trust this Lord Zedd," Diabolico said. "It would seem we are being used as a shield against his enemies."

"What does it matter?" Olympius replied. "No human is a match for us."

"You arrogant…" Loki growled.

"Reign in your foolish pride," Diabolico warned. "You were too young to remember it, but we once underestimated these humans and we have paid for it in confinement for millennia."

"You were a poor leader," Olympius said. "Had I been grown enough to lead we would already have this world under our control."

"Mark my words," Diabolico said coldly. "If you underestimate your opponents you will be destroyed and cast into the Shadow Realm." Diabolico turned to Vypra and Loki. "Assemble your armies and prepare to attack, we will test our strength against Zedd's enemies, it is obvious that he is unable to contend with these 'Power Rangers', fighting them will help to gauge the strength of his forces."

The demons nodded and turned to leave. Diabolico turned to look at Olympius one last time.

"You worry about nothing," Olympius snarled mockingly.

"We shall see whelp," Diabolico replied leaving Olympius to his work.

Olympius's eyes burned with a radiant green flame, he could not allow Diabolico to be right. He would not succumb to these mere mortals. Jason could hardly believe it as the demon rose to his feet, catching him off guard Olympius pulled his pike from the ground and slashed it across Jason's chest. The weapon cut through the armor leaving a red hot gash as the blade grazed his skin burning a scar into his flesh. Jason screamed as the burning blade cut him. He staggered back.

"Jason!" Kimberly screamed. She fired several more arrows at the demon, but Olympius turned causing them to deflect off his chest plate. The gold surface had been dulled as his black blood continued to cascade down his body. Kimberly knew this creature had to be dying, but that seemed to only make him stronger.

Olympius started to stalk toward Kimberly, but even as he did Jason grabbed him from behind wrapping his arm around the demon's throat and ramming his blade into the demon's side. The blade sunk in and burst out through Olympius's other side below him arm. The demon coughed, black liquid spewed from his mouth, though he seemed unaffected by the pain. Olympius reached back and grabbed Jason by the shoulder, his taloned hand digging into Jason's armor. With a grunt the creature threw Jason into Kimberly. Kimberly managed to catch Jason, but the two of them still tumbled backward onto the concrete.

"I don't know how he's still holding on," Jason panted as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Can you keep him busy for a minute?" Kimberly asked. "I want to try something that helped before."

"Okay," Jason replied. He gripped his sword tightly and charged in.

Jason swung his sword toward the demon's neck, but Olympius blocked him. As the weapons clashed Olympius forced the sword back around and down to the ground pinning Jason's weapon. Jason pulled the sword back and thrust it into the demon's left arm. Gripping the sword with both hands he twisted the blade and slashed out severing most of the arm. Yet even as it hung useless the hand still grasped the pike as if nothing had happened. As the demon slashed at Jason again the arm tore loose at the cut, Jason blocked with his sword, but could feel the tremendous power Olympius had despite the loss of an arm.

As Jason fought, Kimberly was focusing her mind trying to recreate yesterday's events when she fought Lokar's creation. As she watched the demon she began to feel the creature's weakening aura with each beat of its heart, the pulses of blood which ran from the wounds. She kept telling herself she could do this as she synchronized her own rhythm with the demon's. As she focused she began to charge Olympius as Jason held him in place.

"Jason move!" Kimberly shouted as she was almost on top of them.

Jason stepped aside, the demon fell to a knee as Jason's sword pulled away from his pike. Kimberly lunged forward throwing her punch. Time seemed to slow for a moment as the aura moved against her attack, but something was wrong, there were two auras. She didn't have time to think she choose the one and flowed with it outward and plunged in with all her strength. Instead of the devastating effect she had witnessed last time her hand impacted on the hard armor on the demon's chest, she could feel the force of the impact on the armor and the attack tore through the glove around her knuckles. The armored plate did not move, but the ripple that went from it was visible through the demon's body. The demon vomited blood onto Kimberly's armor. Olympius fell as his ribcage collapsed in on itself. Kimberly dropped clutching her hand, the pain was incredible. Jason, unsure of what had just happened rushed toward Olympius. With the body collapsed Jason reached under his chest plate and tore it from the demon. Then he fell to his knees plunging the sword through where the heart should be. The sword pierced through Olympius's body and sank a foot into the concrete. Olympius's head fell back to the ground, a last breath escaping his mouth as the fire in his eyes faded. The demon's body went limp and began to dissolve. Jason sighed in relief through his exhaustion.

"You okay Kim?" Jason asked.

"This is so gross," she mumbled wiping the thick blood from her helmet's visor.

"What?" Jason asked not hearing her.

"Yeah," she replied shaking her hand, "That really hurt."

"What did you do?" Jason asked taking a moment to rest on the concrete.

"I tried to attack his," she paused, "Some other force, it's like a bubble around everything that blocks attacks."

"What?"

"Remember how easily Josh was able to go through our armor when we fought over a year ago?"

"Yeah,"

"He uses a principle of Tai Chi, I think he attacks the same thing. I'm not sure, I haven't had a chance to talk to him about it, but it worked yesterday against another monster." She looked at her hand, the pain was subsiding, but the armor was still torn away from her knuckles and blood was trickling from her exposed flesh. "Something went wrong this time though."

"What do you mean?"

"Right before I attacked I could sense two bubbles, I guess I attacked the wrong one."

"Well either way you gave me the opening I need to kill him," Jason said. "You ready for the next fight?"

"Well I'm not as worn out as you," Kimberly teased.

"Hey, you try holding off something with that kind of strength and see how you feel." Jason laughed. Kimberly walked over to Jason and extended her left hand. Jason took it and pulled himself to his feet.

"What do you think we'll find in Africa?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't know," Jason replied, "But we need to go now."

The two Rangers teleported, red and pink streaks soared through the sky as the soldiers below hunted down the last of the leaderless, and now disoriented, Ghouls.

Billy thrust his lance shaft forward pushing one of the snake-men back, the sides of the lance cutting through two others as he did so. Ashley ran forward going between two of the creatures plunging her daggers into their heads as she raced by. The bodies fell, the daggers being pulled out as she continued forward. Adam knocked one of the snakes back and quickly cleaved its head splitting the body down the middle. The two halves dropped as Adam stepped through the creature. Vypra had already moved from the steps of the Cathedral and was approaching the Rangers. Her blood boiled as she watched the Rangers kill her precious snakes. To think that mere mortals would have the arrogance to lift a hand against her kind, they needed to be enlightened. As Vypra approached, the snake-men began to fall out in a circle around her and the Rangers.

"I don't like being surrounded," Adam said quietly.

"Let's just make sure we don't lose our focus on them," Billy said.

Ashley didn't say a word, but clutched her dagger tightly panning to keep her eyes on as many of the snakes as possible. As Vypra approached twin serpents projected from her right hand and intertwined to form a sword.

"Leave this place now or die," Vypra said pointing her sword toward Billy.

"You're the one who will be leaving," Billy said coldly.

Vypra laughed, "Foolish human, long before your kind ever came into power my kind was, and soon we will once again be the dominant force on this planet."

"Not as long as we're here you won't be." Ashley said.

"Fair enough," Vypra replied.

As Vypra moved her body seemed to transform into a snake itself, yet it was ethereal in appearance. The fierce form flew in with lightning speed and coiled around the Ranger's position. Then without warning the entire form constricted in a flash and Vypra was on top of them, she slashed at Ashley, who barely managed to block. Caught off balance she stumbled back and bumped into Billy who turned to stab at Vypra, but in a coiled streak she had moved again. Appearing behind Billy she pushed against him, causing him to fall and knock Ashley down with him. Adam swung his axe trying to decapitate her, but in an instant she had moved again to Adam's left and slashed at his undefended side. Her blade caught Adam's arm cutting deep into the armor and tearing through his flesh. Adam dropped his axe and fell to his knees clutching his arm. The spot she had hit felt like it was on fire, and it was spreading. His visor was already warning him that an unknown toxin had entered his system and was spreading. Vypra, content for the moment, moved back giving the Rangers a moment.

"Your friend won't last very long now that he's tasted my poison," Vypra replied, her snake like tongue licking the blood from her blade.

"Adam are you okay?" Billy asked kneeling beside him.

"It really burns." Adam said. As he pulled his hand away Billy could see the toxin was already destabilizing his morph. The armor around the wound was flickering between matter and energy; green veins were spreading from the wound on his skin.

"We have to get him out of here," Billy said to Ashley.

"What about the mission?" Adam asked gritting his teeth in pain.

"Ashley, take him back and get Beta on an antivenin, I'll take care of her."

"But Billy," she began to protest.

"Go, or he's going to die!" Billy said as he rose to his feet.

Ashley wasted no more words and teleported out with Adam.

"Do you really think you have a chance alone?" Vypra taunted. "You were no match when there were three of you."

"We're about to find out." Billy replied twirling his lance and bringing it to his side one handed as if it were an extension of his arm.

Vypra could see this one would require more persuasion. She was about to move forward when the world around them burst into flames. A bomb exploded throwing all of them back. Billy rose to find many of the snake-men burning, their bodies writhing into charred husks. Billy noticed a chemical substance coating the ground, and even his armor.

"Napalm." He muttered to himself.

The armor was holding stable despite the heat, but if something should happen to destabilize him like Adam he would be in serious trouble. Without warning the flames parted as Vypra tore through the fire, her serpent form coiling around Billy. With no better guess Billy struck at the snake's head, but his weapon passed through it. He wasn't sure if this was how Vypra was moving, or if it was merely an illusion to conceal her movements, probably both. Then for a split second Billy saw it, the light increased slightly in a single point as the coils of the snake closed on that location. Billy turned, barely managing to bring his lance around to block as Vypra swung her sword. Billy knew what to look for now. Pushing Vypra back he split his lance into twin weapons and settled into a fighting stance. The two faced off, fire was all around them. Vypra stood, seemingly untouched by the fire, while Billy stood engulfed in the fire, yet unharmed. The trees around them were already burning, torched leaves falling to the ground like rain. Vypra charged in, Billy tightened his grip on his weapons.

Ashley and Adam rematerialized in the Command Center. Ashley carried Adam as he stumbled trying to walk, to the medical bed. Adam sat down, and Ashley helped guide him as he laid back on the table. She removed her helmet and placed it on another table.

"Beta," Ashley called.

"How may I be of assistance?" Came the mechanical reply.

"I need you to analyze the poison in Adam and create an antivenom." She turned to Adam, "You need to demorph."

Adam nodded. In a surge of black light his body reverted to its natural state. Ashley could see that Adam was already sweating profusely and that the venom was working its way up his arm toward his heart.

"Please stand clear." Beta said as it arrived at the table. Ashley stepped back. "Scanning now,"

A blue light shone up through the table collecting data from Adam down to a molecular level. The light subsided after a few minutes, though it seemed like longer to Ashley.

"Sample extracted. Antivenin antibody synthesis in process." Beta responded.

Ashley took hold of Adam's hand. "Just hang in there Adam." She said softly.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," Adam smiled.

Billy watched carefully for the bright spot as Vypra coiled around him, but failed to see it. As the coils constricted he dove away to avoid her attack.

"Clever," Vypra said standing there. "But I wonder how long your endurance will last before you are too tired to fight?"

"Come and find out," Billy replied.

Vypra raced in again. Billy had to think fast, she had come at him from behind last time, but was she aware that he was predicting her moves. There was no way to tell at this point. Billy tried an unconventional tactic. As the coils closed Billy swung his lances to create a near complete circle around his body. As Vypra appeared behind Billy the blades raked her mid section. She staggered back with a shriek. Billy turned to face her. If she came in again it was not likely she would come in behind him, she couldn't possibly be that predictable.

"Shrewd," Vypra hissed at him. A black substance was oozing on her skin around the cut. She raced in again, though a little more cautious this time.

Billy saw the bright spot out of the corner of his eye, on his left. He turned and brought both lances down as Vypra appeared, the blades carving into the flesh on her torso. Black sludge poured from her body, as it hit the fire the flames began to flare up yet it did not burn while it was on the demon. Billy pulled back and attempted to plunge both lances through her chest, but with a swing of her sword she deflected his attack. Without a word she kicked Billy in the chest sending him flying back. As Billy landed he looked up to see that the woman's eyes had transformed, the pupil was gone and her eyes glowed with a bright yellow light. She smiled cruelly as she stared at Billy.

"Antivenin antibody synthesis completed; Antibody in replication." Beta said.

"How much longer?" Ashley asked feeling apprehensive.

"Two minutes until antibody replication is complete if exponential growth remains constant."

"Go help Billy," Adam said. "I'll be alright."

Ashley nodded, "Beta when the antibodies are ready give them to Adam, and let me know if he gets worse."

"Compliance."

Ashley looked at Adam one last time as she took her helmet and teleported out.

Billy wasn't sure what had happened to cause the change in this woman, but he had been on the defensive long enough. He charged Vypra. Vypra retracted her sword; the serpents uncoiling and going back into her hand. She raised her arms toward Billy launching a volley of snakes like spears. Billy flipped over the attack crossing his arms, as he landed he slashed with both of his lances, the blades carving an X across Vypra's chest. To Billy's shock she did not even react to the wounds, but instead backhanded Billy. The force tossed him aside and into a tree. Billy jumped to his feet and charged the demon again. He leapt into the air attempting to deliver a spin kick to her head, but her wings folded around her blocking his attack. As Billy's foot connected she unfurled her wings creating a strong gust of wind that caused the fire to blaze outward for a moment, Billy was knocked back, but managed to land on his feet in a crouch.

Ashley rematerialized in the midst of the fire. She took a moment to get her bearings. The fire made it difficult to see much of anything. She saw Billy sitting to her left, but where was that woman? Billy noticed Ashley's arrival; then he noticed the snake form racing around from behind.

"Behind you!" Billy shouted.

Ashley turned, her weapons materializing in a blaze of yellow. Vypra appeared in front of her in a flash. The fierce yellow eyes fixed on Ashley frightened her, and in a moment of panic Ashley stabbed one of her daggers into Vypra's head. The demon punched Ashley in the chest, a pulse of light emanating as the demon's aura collided with the emblem of Ashley's armor. Ashley was thrown back from the attack losing her grip on the dagger now imbedded in Vypra's head. Billy ran to Ashley's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know," Billy was cut short as Vypra launched another volley of snakes like spears.

Billy grabbed Ashley and leapt out of the way, one of the serpents grazing his foot. Billy checked his armor as they landed, it was still intact.

"We need to finish this," Billy said.

Ashley nodded in response. The two charged Vypra. The demon only watched them come, no hint of any emotion on her expressionless face. Billy joined his lances together into a single staff again, holding it out like a spear. When they were almost on top of her Vypra let two serpents lash out from her arms like whips. One wrapped around Ashley's left wrist, which still held a dagger, the other wrapped around Billy's neck. Ashley stopped, trying to resist, but Billy continued to rush in. Vypra pulled back on the serpent wrapped around Billy's neck, but Billy had been anticipating this. As Vypra pulled, Billy leapt into the air to move with Vypra's attack. In a fluid movement he separated his lance twirling the twin blades inward cutting the snake's connection to him and joined the lances together again. As Billy landed he slashed Vypra across the throat with his first attack, spinning the lance around he slashed the snake that held Ashley's wrist. Blood poured from the neck running down the demon's chest. Ashley, freed from Vypra's grip, raced in. Billy put the shaft of his lance against Vypra's throat and forced her back into a burning tree. As Billy held her Ashley pulled her dagger from Vypra's head, but as she did so Vypra extended her left arm and grabbed Ashley by the throat and began to squeeze. Even through the armor Ashley could feel the force on her neck cutting off her air. Billy moved in holding the lance against Vypra with his left forearm and began to punch the demon repeatedly in the head trying to force her to release her grip. Ashley slashed at Vypra's arm cutting it off above the wrist, even with the hand cut off it still clung to Ashley as if it were alive. Ashley stepped back pulling at the hand, slowly it began to lose its grip.

Billy was at a loss to stop this demon who seemed oblivious to all the damage now being inflicted on her. He released his lance from her throat and threw a front kick to her head smashing it into the tree. The tree exploded at the impact point sending burning embers out in a fiery cloud. As he connected Billy pushed off and flipped backwards putting some distance between the two. With a quick thrust, before she could recover, Billy impaled Vypra, the lance points sinking into her chest. Billy could feel Vypra pulsate as her body suddenly became rigid, her eyes opening wide. Then the yellow light faded, Vypra's body went limp and began to dissolve. Billy pulled his lance back. Ashley easily tossed aside the now decaying hand.

"You okay?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Ashley replied.

"How's Adam?"

"Beta was almost done with the antivenom when I left."

"We should check up on him before we head out to Africa," Billy said.

"What about the fire?" Ashley asked looking around at all flames.

Billy looked around for a moment for any signs of life or movement, but all he could detect was the fire. The flames seemed to be limited mostly to the plaza area in front of the Cathedral. As he studied the burning area he noticed the strike was very precise and didn't appear to have caused much collateral damage outside of the plaza.

"Without Adam's Zord, and the zero-point cannon I don't think there is anything else we can do here." Billy said.

Ashley nodded, the two teleported leaving the fire to local authorities.

Josh was trapped as the vampires continued to rush in. With so many he was finding it impossible to even move. He checked his HUD display. There was still over fifteen hours until sunrise, and while these creatures didn't seem to be able to get through his armor he couldn't wait that long. He needed something like sunlight, like Dragon Zord's plasma, but he could lift the dagger to play the flute, he couldn't move at all. Josh closed his eyes and tried to focus.

As Josh's eyes opened he found himself standing on a high mountain plateau, all around him was the ocean. The waves crashed against the solid rock sending white foam soaring into the air all around him. As he looked around he noticed he was no longer in his Green Ranger Armor, but instead was wearing green robes, a gold dragon emblazed on his chest. Yet as he looked closer he could see other markings. They were a similar shade of green, making them impossible to see clearly. As he was trying to decipher these markings he became aware of another person present. He looked up to see a familiar face, an old man dressed in blue robes, silver designs woven through out his robes like a brilliant work of art.

"Ninjor?" Josh asked.

"Yes," his voice was now singular in form, gentle and soothing.

"What's going on?"

"You are experiencing enlightenment."

"And what am I suppose to be learning?" Josh asked. This whole thing seemed strange, but after all he had seen recently he wasn't prepared to question it.

"To adapt," Ninjor replied.

"Adapt to what?" Joshua asked.

"Right now you are engaged in a desperate battle against forces you can not hope to defeat if you continue to think in your limited way."

"What should I do then?"

"Open your mind and consider the limitless possibilities that exist within the power you have been granted. Do not let the constraints of your technology or your perceived reality to hinder you. You see the Dragon you bear?" Ninjor pointed at the marking on Josh's robes. "You have great power and strength, but you keep it locked away because your mind is clouded."

"Are these also symbols?" Josh asked showing Ninjor one of the green markings.

"Those are parts of you that have not been realized and developed. You have relied for so long solely on your power and strength, but if you would let go of this point of force and control you could become so much more."

"How will anything else help me right now?" Josh asked.

"Power and strength are great allies, and they will help you prevail, but even greater power comes when they are tempered with wisdom and knowledge."

"And I have all yours," Josh realized. "I know every fighting style you've learned, every strategy you've ever devised!"

"Yes," Ninjor replied with a smile. "And now, you know how to unlock the power of the Go-Dai."

Josh's eyes opened, an idea had entered his mind; he knew what he needed to do.

Loki was nearly on top of the mass of vampires where the Green Ranger was being held. The demon smiled; if this was all that was stopping Lord Zedd they would have no problem overthrowing his empire and reclaiming the Earth for themselves. Suddenly light began to shine through the mass of vampires, Loki pulled back, even as he did the mass of vampires let out a unified shriek as they burst into flames being consumed by the fire coming from the Green Ranger. As Josh rose to his feet the star fire streaked off his body in the wind extinguishing, he sheathed his blade. Loki studied him for a moment; it seemed this whelp had more surprises than he originally thought. Josh lowered himself into a fighting stance his eyes fixed on the demon.

"Are you going to fight me without your weapon now?" Loki chuckled.

Josh charged in, Loki threw his axe. As the spinning weapon carved the air between them Josh leapt over the weapon sailing above Loki's head. As Loki raised his head Josh amplified the gravity on his body forcing him to fall faster. The demon pulled back and prepared to punch him out of the sky. Josh brought his arm back, green plasma burst from his hand engulfing his arm in star fire. As the fists of both of them met Josh drew back slightly taking the force of Loki's attack and slung it back at him as his aura collapsed. The force of the attack and fire tore through the demon's arm shattering it up to the elbow. The limb hung useless, nothing more than fractured bone and shredded flesh remained. Loki roared in agony as Josh dropped to the ground and ducked. No sooner had he reached the ground than the axe returned, unprepared for it, the massive weapon sunk into Loki stomach forcing him back. The claws on his feet tore up the ground as he slid back. As he came to a stop Loki ripped the axe from his body and fell onto a knee, his head bowed. Blood ran down his body onto the ground, his wings drew up around him. Josh leapt to his feet ready to fight, yet something about the demon's appearance sent a chill down his spine. With a pulse that seemed to ripple through the air like a heartbeat Loki's head rose, the eyes washed away in a bright yellow light, the jewels on his head and chest now glowing with a fierce blood red fire. Tendrils, like black roots, tore out of the demon's shredded arm forming a bone structure, flesh and muscle began to cling to it from his tattered flesh reforming his hand. Loki struggled to hang on to his sanity, his body was regenerating, so long as he could channel this force, but the abysmal powers that gave him strength also sought to wipe away his will in madness. Loki fought, his will pitted against the darkness that threatened to devour him and leave his body a soulless killing machine. If he won out his body would be restored, if he failed he would fall into darkness forever.

Josh was unsure of exactly what was happening, but if this creature was allowed to heal then this fight would continue indefinitely. Josh charged launching a roundhouse kick to Loki's chest, the demon hardly moved. Josh continued to spin sending out another kick at stomach level, but it seemed to do little to change the demon's poise. Continuing to rotate Josh dropped and attempted a sweep. As he continued his downward spiral his momentum increased, the sweep impacted on the demon's massive leg, but to no avail, Josh felt as if he were attacking a mountain. He could not sense the creature's life force. If it was still present it was no longer reacting to his attacks. Without warning Loki lashed out, his wings unfurling as he punched using his newly formed hand. Josh spun grabbing Loki's wrist as if he were putting him in a headlock. Moving with his momentum Josh dropped to one knee flipping the demon over his body, the ground shook as Loki impacted. Loki jumped to his feet, the washed out look in his eyes had faded, the light of the jewels burning with a calm flame.

"It is useless to continue human," Loki growled. "I have mastered the darkness, I am more powerful now than you could possibly imagine."

"Whatever," Josh replied launching a jump kick.

Loki grabbed Josh out of the air slamming him into the ground with his massive hand. The demon peered down on the helpless mortal who was struggling to breath.

"Now you die!" Loki roared. The demon grabbed his axe from the ground and brought it back. Josh struggled to move, but the demon was holding him firmly on the ground. With lighting reflexes Loki pulled his hand back, the axe fell on the center of Josh's body.

"How are you feeling?" Billy asked looking over the data Beta had provided.

"It still burns a little," Adam said. He was sitting up on the table now, his rolled up shirt sleeve revealed the matting of green veins had dissipated leaving only a bruise.

"This should help with that," Billy replied grabbing a syringe and injecting it into Adam's arm.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

"A localized numbing agent." Billy replied.

"So is he going to be okay?" Ashley asked.

"He might have some minor nerve damage, but nothing that we can't fix later," Billy assured her.

"So am I fit to fight?" Adam asked.

"That's entirely up to you," Billy replied. "You're going to be weak for a little while, but your powers should compensate for your slight decline in health."

"Well if it's all the same I'd like to get back into action."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ashley asked.

"I'll take it easy," Adam said, "But you're going to need me if we have to call the Zords."

Ashley nodded, she conceded his point, but she knew he needed rest. With Zedd seemingly on the offensive again though she wondered how many more serious sacrifices would be made before this was all over. Adam grabbed his morpher and transformed; the three Rangers teleported out of the Command Center.

There was an energy discharge as streaks of green lighting radiated from Josh's body. The axe had impacted on his Dragon Shield saving his life, the curved axe blade stopped a few inches from his helmet. The force of the attack had knocked the wind out of him and he was still struggling to breathe even as he clasped the axe blade between his hands. His body had been forced down into the soft earth by the force of Loki's attack.

"Why won't you die?!" Loki roared. The resilience of this creature was wearing on his patience.

"Why won't you?!" Josh choked out as he twisted the axe rolling out from under it.

Leaping to his feet Josh threw a spinning crescent kick. As his foot came close he could sense the demon's life force; he had a chance. His heel impacted on the burning jewel on Loki's chest, the gem burst sending fragments raining down like burning embers. Loki staggered back clutching his chest. Josh was not going to give him another chance to recover, rushing forward he launched several punches into the monster's stomach before throwing a roundhouse into his side. Loki could feel his bones snapping with every attack. In desperation he slashed his axe in an arc, but the Green Ranger jumped over it throwing a knee strike to the jewel on Loki's forehead shattering it. The demon lurched back, his strength diminishing.

"It would seem I have under estimated you," Loki snarled, his shortness of breath apparent. "But even if you defeat me, you will never defeat our leader."

"Zedd will fall," Joshua replied.

"Yes, but Diabolico will be the one to defeat him, after he finishes with you."

Josh couldn't help but wonder which one this Diabolico was, but he needed to end this fight and get to the next location. He charged in again pulling his dagger. Leaping into the air he spun slashing the demon across the chest, continuing his rotation he landed a kick to the demon's head. Loki was thrown to the ground by the force of the attack, his skull shattering. His one good eye still focused on the Green Ranger. Josh jumped onto the demon plunging his dagger through the void that should have contained the creature's heart. Loki coughed up a thick black liquid.

"I will be back mortal," Loki gurgled.

Joshua plunged the dagger in further. The demon's eye went dim, Josh could feel the last of his strength flow out from him, like the tide returning to the sea. Josh let out a sigh as his own tension lessened. That was one down, and one more to go. Yet this one had almost killed him several times, if it hadn't been for his powers he probably would have died. Josh pulled his mind together, he had to be more careful, he could not allow himself to feel superior to his enemy. These things clearly were deadlier than Putties or any of the things that he had faced so far, even the Oni were less of a challenge. Josh took a moment to center himself. Feeling calm again he pulled his dagger from the demon's decaying body and teleported, the green light streaking the sky like a star.

A point of green light formed illuminating the darkness; as the point exploded into a radiant green burst Ecliptor stepped through into a room deep below the surface of KO-35. His robotic eyes scanned the area, but found no trace of his quarry. There was a large doorway that opened into a room with elevators, presumably to the surface. Behind him was a destroyed wall that revealed a series of offices and a cold storage room. The room he stood in appeared to be the remnants of a laboratory. Apparently it was abandon when Zedd and his forces had crushed the inhabitants several years ago. Things seemed disheveled, parts of the walls and ceiling had been torn away or collapsed, papers and tools were scattered across the floor, several instrument tables had been knocked over. Then Ecliptor noticed the body of a disabled Quantron buried under some debris. Ecliptor pulled away some of the rock, the Quantron had taken a shot from some type of energy weapon. A fair part of the spinal array was damaged meaning more than likely the ionic network had been damaged by the energy discharge. Ecliptor pulled the head forward and found the skull plate that covered the network interface and ripped it off. He pulled an interface port off his wrist guard and plugged it into the Quantron's head. As he looked through the Quantron's systems he discovered a small amount of data that had been retained in the network; no structural schematics, but the battle commands were useful. It seemed there was a door somewhere on the west wall that led deeper into the complex which contained items Zedd had wanted secured. It must be buried. Ecliptor disconnected from the Quantron and began to survey the west wall for any changes in structural density or other anomalies. Thermal scans detected a slight signature coming from a slab of ceiling that had fallen along the wall. Ecliptor walked over to investigate. Placing his hands on the plastanium he initiated an ultrasonic pulse lasting just under two milliseconds. This piece of debris had a subtle system of circuitry inside activated through a nano-wave key. Ecliptor knew he could bypass it, but that could take hours. Manifesting his sword Ecliptor slashed through the plastanium slab revealing a doorway at the end of a dark hall. Yet as Ecliptor ran through his visual spectrums he could see an intricate web of infrared beams. He knew there had to be more than just these beams, probably pressure sensors in the floor as well, possibly even automated weapon batteries. It seemed no matter what he did the element of surprise would be lost. With no other option Ecliptor stepped into the hallway avoiding the first of several beams. Setting his foot down he felt the floor compress an almost unperceivable distance. He smirked, his presence was now known. Without delay he sprinted down the hallway and rammed the door with his shoulder tearing through it with little effort.

The room he entered was dimly lit by emergency lighting. The dark red glow providing limited visibility, but, for most biologicals was useful in not compromising their natural night vision. Several makeshift counsels were setup. Cables and hoses ran along the ground like a thick mesh toward a series of eight cylinders. As Ecliptor approached he could see that seven of the cylinders contained a black mass suspended in a yellow liquid, which appeared more orange in the red light. He wondered how long ago this had all been moved here; and more importantly where had he been hiding all this before? Going to one of the cylinders he could see the creature within more clearly, the melding of flesh and metal, the teeth running up the orange fleshy vest, the sinister grin.

"Beautiful aren't they?" A voice came from behind.

Ecliptor spun around to see a figure step from the shadows, his eyes glowing red in the low light.

"Darkonda," Ecliptor glared. "What is all this?"

"Impressed?" Darkonda mused. "It's a shame that I had to kill the scientists that created these. Until Zedd came to power I never imagined I would need more than eight clones. Beautifully crafted system really, my cybernetic body makes certain that the clones' memory is synced constantly." He laughed. "One minute I'm being burned alive, the next I find myself waking up in a puddle of goo, it really is a unique feeling."

"Your treachery ends here." Ecliptor said.

"You could join me Ecliptor. Zedd will never reward you like I will."

"I'm not interested in joining you,"

"And what about Astronema?" he asked with a cruel grin.

"You stay away from her!" Ecliptor growled tightening his grip on his sword.

"You never did tell her, did you?" Darkonda mused.

"The only thing she needs to know about you is that you can't be trusted."

"I brought her to you!"

"You also betrayed her and me! And now you've even crossed Lord Zedd! The universe will be better off without you!"

Ecliptor charged in as Darkonda drew his long sword. The two clashed, Darkonda shifting his feet just in time to avoid being thrown back as the two locked swords.

"What do you think will become of you when Zedd is done with you?" Darkonda asked looking into Ecliptor's soulless eyes.

"Lord Zedd is power incarnate, better to stand with him than against him!" Ecliptor pushed Darkonda back sending him crashing into one of the counsels.

Darkonda drew his smaller sword and charged in swinging violently. Ecliptor stepped back parrying his strikes to the right. Catching him off balance Ecliptor punched Darkonda with a strong left hook sending the creature to the ground. In a moment Ecliptor was upon him, his sword pointed at his throat.

"It's over," Ecliptor said.

"I don't think so," came a voice from behind.

Ecliptor turned to see another Darkonda release a blast of energy from his hand. With no time to react Ecliptor was flung across the room and into the far wall. The clone helped Darkonda to his feet.

"You can never have too much of a good thing." Darkonda grinned.

"I agree," Ecliptor said rising to his feet. "I've seen your trick, let me show you mine." Red lighting coursed over Ecliptor shifting his whole body to red, while his eyes changed to green.

"That's it?" Darkonda mocked, the two talking in stereo. "You can change color?"

Ecliptor smirked, his sword suddenly burst into flame. With a single swipe Ecliptor sent a large fireball streaking into the remaining cylinders.

"No!" Both Darkondas screamed as the vessels were reduced to molten slag and shrapnel.

Ecliptor took advantage of the Darkondas' temporary distraction and charged in and slashed both in half in a single blow. A dark liquid hemorrhaged forth from the bodies as the torsos were torn from the legs, the bodies falling to the ground.

"This is what I gain from serving Lord Zedd," Ecliptor said as Darkonda's world faded to black.

Jason and Kimberly materialized on a hill in Africa. According to the armor's display they were several miles south-east of a small town called Boulounkou. The air was dry and hot, the sun already past its zenith, fortunately their armor prevented them from noticing. Jason surveyed the area. The satellite map was showing a concentration of forces north of their position. Jason magnified the location of the army. As he zoomed in he could see thousands of insect like creatures flying in the air, and scurrying on the ground around some huge black mass. Jason pointed toward the army. Kimberly looked out observing the army. The creatures in the air had multiple pairs of wings, but looked more like giant wasps. On the ground huge beetle-like creatures scurried as if working on something.

"Ew, gross," Kimberly said.

Jason raised his communicator to call Billy, but before he could activate it the other three Rangers materialized next to them.

"I was just about to call you," Jason said. "How did your fight go?"

"We succeeded, but it was weird," Billy said. "That woman seemed like a normal monster, if such a thing can exist, but then she seemed to change and didn't seem to be hurt by anything."

"We had that problem too," Jason said. "Everything else okay?"

"Adam was poisoned." Ashley said.

"You okay?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah," Adam replied. "A little weak still, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"So what are we up against?" Billy asked.

"See for yourself," Jason said pointing toward the swarm.

Billy, Adam, and Ashley looked out in the direction Jason indicated. They could see the swarms in the air and the workers on the ground surrounding the large mass.

"It looks like a hive, or a giant termite mound," Billy said. "These creatures are amazing, the ones on the ground look like they might be some kind of cross between a Dynastes Hercules and a Lucanus Cervus. Look at all those tusks."

"English Billy," Kimberly said. Jason laughed to himself.

"Sorry," Billy said. "They resemble a cross between a Stag and Rhinoceros Beetle. Oh that's interesting," Billy paused for a moment.

"What it is?" Jason asked.

"Well the if you look at the flyers, those wasp, beetle hybrids you can see they all have a pair of legs and then two pairs of those scythed hands like insects on Earth, but the workers only have four legs."

"Does that mean anything?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "Either the workers have another set of appendages that I can't see from here, or they're a completely different order or class of creature, which if that's true, it's odd that they would work together like this, unless they have a higher level of intelligence."

"What are you thinking?" Jason asked.

"Well, just the variation, despite all the similarity, between the two visible types of aliens we can see I would think this is not just a series of soldiers like Zedd's Putties or the Quantrons. These appear to be a subjugated insectoid race."

"You think they're forced to serve Zedd?" Ashley asked.

"Possibly, or they might serve willingly like Zedd's Generals." Billy responded.

"I'd love to let you spend time studying this Billy," Jason said. "But they look like they're building a fortress over there and we can't let them get that kind of a foothold."

"It's worse than that," Billy said. "If this is anything like a termite mound then there are a series of tunnels running under the mound, they could already go miles in every direction. I think we're going to need some help with this one." Billy activated his communicator. "Beta, what is the status of the Zord modifications?"

"Tyrannosaurs Zord complete." The response began. "Pterodactyl Zord complete. Mastodon Zord complete. Sabretooth Tiger Zord complete. Triceratops Zord complete. Dragon Zord ninety-seven percent complete. Estimated two point three minutes to completion. Titanus eighty-four percent complete. Estimated twelve point two minutes to completion."

"What is Joshua's current status and location?" Billy asked.

"Green Ranger location is Akmola, Kazakhstan. Status unknown. Armor relay shows elevated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, increased brain activity, increased endor…"

"That's sufficient," Billy said cutting Beta off.

Kimberly sighed quietly with relief. If Josh was in Kazakhstan that meant he had been successful in Australia and was one step closer to rejoining them.

"Contact Madeleine Albright at the UNSC and inform her of the situation in Chad. Inform her that we will destroy the hive and do our best to eliminate all hostile intruders, but that we will need a peacekeeper force to assess and deal with the underground sections of the hive. We may need an subterranean nuclear detonation."

"Compliance." Beta responded as Billy closed communications.

"Okay," Billy started. "We can use our Zords, but Titanus is useless for another fifteen minutes and it seems Josh has moved on to his second objective. So what's the plan Jason?"

"Alright," Jason began. "The plan for now is to do some surveying. If that goes well we will perform some hit and run strikes on the enemy with the Zords. I want to get an idea of how these things think and react before we go rushing into the middle of all of this. Also I haven't seen the insect woman we saw on the holo display, so be careful."

Joshua materialized in an alleyway somewhere in downtown Akmola. Once again it was dark. It didn't take long for him to spot the golden warrior and his legion spread all around. His warriors appeared to be some type of devil or demon. Strange hairy creatures with crimson hair and fiendish goat faces. An inverted burning heptagram was on the forehead of each one, which seemed to match their faces as each had twin sets of horns. Two on top like a goat, but two more pointed down stemming from just below the ears. Their feet were cloven hooves, jet black like the sleeveless robes they wore. In their hands they carried all manner of swords, axes, and scythes bound to their bodies by chains. The golden one seemed to be preoccupied with the construction of something on the ground amid the other devils. He was waving a staff around, though it was hard to see from where he was standing. The staff was covered in black gold and jewels, at the base was a spear head, while the top had a golden skull with two large blades extending upward. His wings were draped over his body like a cloak; something about the whole situation gave Josh a feeling of uneasiness. Looking around Josh could see that his arrival had gone unnoticed. Then he noticed the perimeter around the small group. It didn't seem they had considered another means of entry into the area than on foot. Josh decided to investigate before taking action and leapt to the top of a nearby building. Keeping in the shadows as much as possible Josh peered down into the horde of monsters magnifying the image.

What he saw was a horrific display. Deep grooves had been carved into the ground creating a large heptagram in the concrete which was now filled with blood. On each point a person had been chained to the ground in a kneeling position, all facing toward the center. Around the edge of the icon were the scattered remains of mutilated bodies. Josh choked back his feelings of nausea. It appeared this creature was performing some kind of ritual, no matter what the goal was he couldn't let these people be sacrificed. Without a moments hesitation he leapt from the building and dove at Diabolico. He pulled his dagger as he fell and flung it like a throwing knife into the back of the demon.

Diabolico dropped to his knees as the dagger sunk into his back, his staff fell to the ground next to him. The other demons saw the Green Ranger descending and converged on their master holding their blades up like skewers.

Joshua activated his teleport beacon vanishing from the air only to rematerialize in the center of the Heptagram. With carefully directed force he struck the ground cracking the concrete, as the icon was broken apart, the blood flowing into the cracks, the chains that held the people snapped and dissolved. The people quickly scrambled off like frightened animals.

"No!" Diabolico roared as he took hold of his staff and rose to his feet. His wings unfurled tearing the Dragon Dagger from his back. The dagger spun away and imbedded in the wall of the building. "Get him!"

The Demons rushed forward at Joshua. Even those who had held the perimeter now turned and raced inward toward the Green Ranger. Josh stood his ground, his eyes closed, focusing, visualizing his path to the enemy. His head sank as he let his other senses reach out. He could hear the hoof beats against the concrete, the clang of metal on metal as weapons tapped against one another, as chains rattled. He could feel the air move, the pressure building as the enemy pressed in. He could smell and taste the sulfurous malignance of brimstone. To Josh time seemed to slow to a crawl, the Demons were only feet from him. Suddenly his head snapped up. Stepping forward he threw a palm strike into the chest of the first Demon, his motions were a blur, moving as if no longer restrained by time. The Demon was thrown back, his body bursting into a spray of flaming ash that flew through the Demonic Horde.

With continued momentum Josh threw a series of kicks, punches, and backhands sending one Demon after another flying in a swirl of burning ash. Leaping into the air he kicked another in the head tearing it from the creature's body in a spray of ash. Dropping to the ground he manifested a whip of plasma fire raking it across several of the Demons incinerating them.

Diabolico watched in horror as the Green Ranger destroyed Demon after Demon with no sign of slowing. It was clear that Zedd's enemies were more than they could have anticipated. It also meant that his kin were likely dead. He would have to escape, but first he had to learn what this warrior could do. Raising his staff he sent a fireball hurling at the Green Ranger.

The Green Ranger seemed to hardly notice the attack as his hand glowed a fiery green and grabbed the fireball redirecting it into another of the Demons. He then seized two Demons by their chains and hurled them into the ground sending flaming ash spraying across the ground. Two Demons rushed him from behind, but he had turned kicking one and punching the other, he spun quickly and caught another Demon with a hand strike, which was followed by a flurry of various kicks as he rotated furiously dispatching Demons to all sides. Landing, Josh stepped into another Demon sweeping him and catching him with an elbow strike to the chest while still in mid fall. Reaching through the ash he grabbed another by the neck and snapped it with no more than a flick of his wrist.

Diabolico watched as the Green Ranger bounced from Demon to Demon like a bolt of green lighting. In seconds he had reduced the horde of minions around him to dust. Fiery ash was raining from the sky like a swarm of fireflies.

"Enough!" Diabolico thundered. The Demons held their ground in a ring around the Green Ranger. Nearly all of his warriors had perished, there were fewer than fifty left in the ring around the Green Ranger from the nearly one thousand that had accompanied him.

Green Ranger circled his arms in a serpent style windmill and fell into a fighting stance, his gaze fixed on Diabolico.

Stepping into the ring Diabolico raised his staff. Instantly a circle inscribed with runes appeared on the ground around Josh. Josh could feel his feet lock to the concrete. He pulled against his invisible shackles, but it seemed he was held fast.

"It seems your powers are no match for my Arcanum." Diabolico mused.

"Why don't you come find out?" Josh replied coldly.

"You should find him easy to deal with now," Diabolico said.

Once again the Demons rushed in. Josh knew he was stuck to the ground, but that arrogant creature had left his hands free. As the first Demon reached him Josh struck him with a right hook, then brought his arm back hitting another with an elbow. Using his momentum he smashed the back of his helmet into another Demon behind him exploding it to ash. He threw twin backhands to his side dispatching two more of his assailants then windmilled his arms catching two more with strikes and grabbing the sword arm of a third which he thrust into a forth before slamming it into the ground with lethal force. Before Diabolico could issue the command the remaining Demons had all been destroyed.

"Who are you?" Diabolico questioned.

"I'm a Power Ranger." He said defiantly.

"Very well Power Ranger," Diabolico said turning to face him, annoyed at his lack of cooperation. "Die!"

Diabolico released a massive discharge of energy from the skull mouth on his chest. Josh reached forward, hands back to back blazing with green energy. As the blast hit Josh pulled it in two drawing his hands out to his sides and then whipped them around at a blinding speed and thrusting the bursts into one as he redirected it back at Diabolico. Diabolico tried to move, but was not quick enough, being caught off guard. The blast vaporized his left arm cauterizing the wound. He fell to the ground short of breath. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't possible. Without a word Diabolico vanished, his body disappearing in an upward spire of lighting. As he departed Josh could feel the force that held his feet to the ground dissipate. Walking back to the building he pulled his dagger from the wall and returned it to its sheath. He looked at his gloves, they had been blackened and had even burned away at the palms, the pain was only slight, but he knew that if he had missed, he wouldn't have gotten a second chance. Looking around at the sight of the ash covered terrain, the blood was still visible as it soaked into the ash, he saw a small doll lying among it all. He knelt down and picked it up. It was a child's toy, singed and bloody, like everything around him. Josh held it for a minute just starring; then he gently set it down and teleported out.

Diabolico emerged in the tomb in a burst of lighting. Sunlight was giving limited lighting to the tomb painting everything in a deep grey. Raising his staff torches ignited bathing the area in a soft orange light. He had work to do; he needed to hurry if he was going to liberate his allies from the Shadow Realm.

"You failed me," a deep voice boomed from behind him.

Diabolico turned to see a pair of burning red eyes staring at him from a dark corner.

"No Lord," Diabolico groveled. "I kept the Rangers busy as long as I could just as you asked."

"Did you?" Zedd asked stepping forward, his sword was in his hand. "Then why, when you had the Green Ranger trapped did you let him go!" As Zedd shouted the whole tomb shook causing part of the ceiling to fall near the opening, sand fell though the stone work on the tomb.

"I can still be of use to you my Lord," Diabolico began his voice shaking. "I can bring the others back."

"Here is your reward!" Zedd said running Diabolico through. The demon collapsed on the weapon. Zedd tilted the blade down letting the demon slide off. Lying on the ground Diabolico began to dissolve into nothing. Zedd turned away, stepping through a portal as it manifest.

Pterodactyl made another pass over the hive that the insects were rushing to build. The structure was already reaching into the sky like an onyx cathedral, and more was being added. The strange thing was that while Kimberly was certain the insects had noticed her they didn't seem interested in her repeated passes over their hive.

"This is interesting," Billy said over the com.

"What is?" Kimberly asked.

"It appears those workers are manufacturing the substance that is being used to construct the hive. Some kind of chemical substance mixed with area materials. Kimberly can you run a thermal scan?"

"Yeah," Kimberly replied, "Let me circle for another pass."

The other Zords were approaching the structure slowly heading for the least defended side. As they approached several of the beetles had stopped devouring the dirt and trees and had moved toward them to investigate. The ground forces were about half the size of the Zords, but the long tusks exaggerated their appearance. Coming within a few hundred meters of the Ranger's Zords Billy could see their tiny antenna below the large crest that shielded their heads twitching. Suddenly the closet of the insects began to shriek.

"I've got him," Adam said firing his zero-point cannon.

"Wait!" Billy shouted.

The zero-point shot hit the bug in the head, but as it made contact the creature violently exploded in a ball of fire throwing the others on their sides and alerting the others who began to charge at the intruders.

"What happened?" Adam asked.

"The thermal scan Kimberly just did showed the insects have a high energy reaction, like a forge, going on inside. When you cooled its surface so quickly it exploded."

"Kim I think we're going to need you over here." Jason said firing a sonic attack at one of the insects. The exoskeletal shell cracked as the blast tore through the head crest releasing a small torrent of burning liquid which quickly cooled and hardened into a solid black material.

"Lay down fire and fallback!" Jason ordered.

The Zords began to fire with all manner of lasers, energy cannons, and missiles as they began to slowly back up. Kimberly flew by strafing the insects. The missiles cracked parts of the exoskeleton, but failed to breech the abdomen. Adam hit another with a zero-point attack causing it to explode violently flinging molten sludge through the air. Pieces of it cooled in slivers which bounced off the Zord armor and the carapaces of the insects.

The Zords continued to fallback, but the insects continued to pour forward from around the hive. The Zords were not causing enough damage as many of their weapons lacked the penetrating power to pierce the hard shell of the bugs.

"Alright Rangers," Jason said, "Let's give the Titan Zord a try."

The Rangers fell back toward one another as their Zords transformed, configuring into the Mega Zord Tank. Continuing to back up the Zord unleashed a barrage with its cannons destroying several of the large bugs. Suddenly Titanus materialized behind them. The massive Zord's back was turned toward them. The body split as the approached providing a bay in which to dock. As the Mega Zord entered the cannons rotated to face forward as the legs folded in providing extra armor over the Zord. Titanus's head rotated, the Pterodactyl disengaged for a moment and Titanus's head and neck passed through the mouth of the Tyrannosaurus Zord like a cannon. Titanus's chest plate shifted above the head of the Tyrannosaurus as tank treads pushed up through the base of Titanus's body. The Pterodactyl reconnected covering the top of the newly formed turret area. The trunk of the Mastodon Zord rose to form a smaller cannon below Titanus's head.

"Sequence complete," Billy thought.

"Good job," Jason thought looking at the insects which were now much smaller by comparison. "Now let's go take out that hive."

The Titan Zord stopped suddenly and began to move forward.

"Fire all weapons!" Jason shouted.

The entire Zord recoiled tearing up the ground as the massive construct moved back nearly one hundred meters. The horde of insects that had been charging exploded, others were thrown back as the area in front of the Zord lit up in a giant fireball that mushroomed into the sky.

"That was awesome," Adam thought.

"I think we need more forward momentum before we fire everything again," Billy thought. "Otherwise we may never reach the target. I'll change the configuration to add stabilizers when we get back."

"Agreed," Jason replied. "Alright, roll forward, fire the weapons in rotation so we don't have the recoil issues."

"Okay," Kimberly responded.

The Zord began to move forward again rolling through the flaming crater left by their last volley of fire. The bugs had gone into a panic running every which way, some retreating, some tried to climb onto the Zord, many were crushed under the treads as the ten story tank thundered through. Approaching the hive the Titan Zord began firing large volleys of missiles at the Sting Wings hovering above causing burning carapace to rain down around the hive.

"Hive in range, forward momentum is steady." Billy reported.

"Full charge on all weapons!" Jason commanded.

"Weapons' power at maximum," Adam reported.

"Fire!"

The Zord suddenly stopped in its tracks as all the cannons opened fire, the grinding of the gears as the Zord lost all its momentum could be heard for miles. The Rangers all felt the acceleration as their bodies were brought to an immediate stop. The air around the Zord was distorted as the huge weapon capacitors discharged and magnetic coils surged sending out a localized electromagnetic pulse. In a flash the hive erupted into a ball of fire sending fragments of the structure flying miles into the air away from the Zord.

"Status?" Jason asked.

"The upper structure is destroyed, reading increased heat levels in the tunnels below which should put end to any eggs or larva, if they've gotten that far already."

"Good job guys," Jason thought.

"Wait!" Billy shouted, "There is a huge spike in seismic activity. Something huge is moving under the surface and it looks like it's coming up!"

"Back up!" Jason ordered.

The Zord rolled back as the ground around the hive crater shifted. A large tail began to rise from the dirt accompanied by large black claws.

"Convert to warrior mode!" Jason shouted.

Gears grinded, hydraulics engaged as the Zord began to rise to its feet. The body of Titanus folded around the Mega Zord frame giving it a thick black and gold armor. The arms pressed through the outer shell, giving them thick white shoulder pads as the front legs of Titanus separated, part enclosing the Mega Zord head giving the head thick armored wings of brilliant white, a black panel with the lighting insignia on the outward side. The rest of Titanus's legs slid over the existing arms, the claws reconfiguring into giant hands. The neck and head of Titanus has disengaged when the Tyrannosaurus head had sunk into the chest, the Pterodactyl covering the chest. Titanus's chest plate attached to the existing chest plate, the mastodon head had shifted to the left shoulder forming a stronger shoulder guard. Titanus's rear legs slid over the existing feet. Titanus's head and neck materialized in the hands of the Zord, the Power Sword projecting from the mouth like a Naganata.

As the Titan Warrior mode came online Scorpius rose from the ground. The massive creature was large, even for a Zord. It fixed its eyes on the Zord. The tail moved side to side as it held it up to strike.

"This whole fight is just getting more and more gross," Kimberly thought.

"Let it make the first move," Jason thought. "Just be ready."

The two titans faced off, neither moving, both studying their opponent. For the Rangers in the accelerated confines of their battle matrix this seemed like an eternity.

"What is taking so long?" Adam asked.

"I don't think it's going to strike first," Billy replied. "I think it is waiting for us to back away."

"Why?" Ashley asked.

"It seems that it is primarily concerned with protecting the hive. They may be invaders, but they seem more interested in building than conquering at the moment."

"Suggestions?" Jason asked.

"If we have to make the first move I suggest taking out a claw or the stinger." Adam replied.

"Or we could pretend to comply," Billy thought.

"Meaning?" Kimberly asked.

"We have two weapons in the Titan configuration, the Naganata and the Power Cannon; a dual heavy cannon that is created from the guns on Titanus. We could back off, let the creature think we're submitting, and once out of range of its claws and stinger open fire with the Power Cannon."

"Sounds good Billy," Jason replied.

The Zord began its feint, slowly backing away from Scorpius who watched it carefully.

"Get the cannon, prepare to fire," Jason thought.

The Naganata disappeared from the Zord's hands as the massive cannon materialized. Seeing the weapon change Scorpius charged in, moving like lighting.

"Fire!" Jason shouted.

The gun hummed loudly as the capacitors charged, but before they could fire Scorpius had reached them and grabbed the Zord's arms in its massive claws. The claws cut in as Scorpius tightened his grip. Suddenly the gun discharged, the blast hitting a distant hillside sending dirt and rock spraying into the air.

"Get the Naganata back," Jason ordered.

The Titan Zord rocked forward slamming its head into Scorpius who screeched releasing his grip on the Zord. The gashes that had been made in the armor were several feet deep and plainly visible. The cannon vanished in a flash of light. With the arms free the Zord executed a dual palm strike sending Scorpius back. As he fell the Naganata materialized in the Zords hands. With a quick strike the Zord slashed Scorpius across his torso area. The blade cut through the exoskeleton spilling a viscous orange ooze. Suddenly the tail whipped forward striking the Zord in the head, the strike sent the Zord off balance causing it to stumble backward as the Rangers tried to stay upright. A corrosive acid was released melting through the first layer of armor.

"Armor damaged," Billy reported.

The Titan Zord spread its arms releasing several quick shots from its chest lasers, but the intense heat seemed to do little to Scorpius who charged in again. This time the Zord thrust the Naganata shaft forward like a bar catching the claws of the creature. The Zord fell backward lodging its right foot into the creature's midsection and throwing it with a violent kick. The Zord quickly returned to its feet. Scorpius plowed into the ground, its legs scurrying around quickly bringing it upright. Scorpius began to charge again. Missiles screamed in from an unknown location impacting the left claw of the creature reducing it to a mess of carapace fragments and orange goo.

The Rangers turned to see the Dragon Zord approaching from the west.

"Josh, you made it!" Jason thought over the com.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late, what's the plan?"

"Now that you're here we should form the Ultra Zord." Billy replied.

"What about the monster?" Ashley asked.

"I think I can give us a temporary buffer," Josh replied.

Dragon Zord spewed an arc of plasma as it joined the Titan Zord creating a barrier between the Zords and Scorpius.

"That should give us a minute or two," Josh thought.

"Alright," Billy began. "Initiating Ultra Zord sequence."

Dragon Zord separated; the torso and head sliding over the existing Zord giving the head a winged samurai look and adding missile racks to both shoulders. The legs of Titanus that had been on the arms shifted down to the feet making the Zord taller. The Dragon Zord feet and shin guards slid over the arms, the feet changing into massive clawed hands. The Dragon Zord chest attached to the existing chest. Titanus's cannons attached to the back as the Dragon Zord Tail combined with the Mastodon head to create a weapons mount, the guns extending above the shoulder facing forward toward the sky. The remaining Dragon Zord parts attached around the waist and legs thickening the armor even more. A sword manifest, a large two handed handle was attached to a simple wide blade that extended nearly one hundred fifty feet ending in a wide point. The blade was inlaid using the neck from Titanus, though the metal plates had shifted to become flat, giving the center of the blade a look of being comprised of many individual plates. The blade coursed with multicolored lighting.

Josh was thrust into the command chamber where the other Rangers were. He was moved behind Jason, facing forward. As he completed the interface his consciousness came online. The other Rangers could feel the power of their minds grow substantially adding his vast tactical skill as well as Ninjor's to their own.

"I think it's time we finish this fight." Jason thought.

"I agree," Josh replied. "This whole thing has gone on long enough."

The Ultra Zord leapt over the flames raising the sword above its head. As it descended it brought the weapon down cleaving Scorpius in half. Then quickly slashed again cutting him sideways, the fury of the strike causing a localized nuclear reaction as the intense power caused the atomic structure to breakdown. In a flurry of flames and black carapace Scorpius exploded raining burning debris over the plain.

Trakeena watched from the shelter of some hive debris, a swelling of bitter hatred filled her as she held back her tears. She activated an icon on her wrist guard teleporting her and the rest of her forces back to the ship.

"We need to put that fire out," Kimberly thought.

"Activating zero-point, controlled wide shot," Billy replied.

The Zord fired a wide zero-point burst as it circled around extinguishing the flames vaporizing most of the carapace fragments that had been scattered from the creatures and the hive.

"Now we just need to make sure we scour the hive." Adam thought.

"That's odd," Billy thought.

"What is it?" Josh asked.

"Sonar indicates the tunnels are clear. It's completely empty down there."

"Better collapse them anyway," Jason thought.

With a subtle leap the Zord jumped into the air and landed on the site where the hive had been. The ground shook violently and collapsed around the Zord. Trenches formed in a complex web as many of the large tunnels crumbled under the stress.

"That should do it," Billy thought.

"Let's get back to the Command Center then." Jason thought.

"Astronema!" Zedd beckoned walking into the great hall.

"Yes my Lord?" she answered.

"What is the status of Serpentera?"

"Serpentera should be fully operational within a few hours my Lord."

"What about Hephaestus?"

"He is going to require several days of work," she replied.

"Has Cyclopsis been repaired? And the Dark Fortress?"

"The Fortress is fully operational, Cyclopsis's new power core seems to be stable, but is lacking the effectiveness of the previous system. Some of the firepower has suffered as a result, and the Zord's ability to adapt to an enemy has been compromised."

"It seems that technology is a poor substitute for magic, have Lokar deal with Cyclopsis immediately."

"Yes my Lord."

Zedd was silent for a moment as if contemplating something.

"Is there anything else my Lord?"

"No," Zedd replied turning to leave. "When Serpentera is ready prepare our forces. This war ends today."

"But my Lord, we don't have the forces here to capture the planet."

"We're not going to capture this one," Zedd said coldly leaving the hall.

The Rangers rematerialized in the Command Center and demorphed. As they did the other Rangers were quick to notice the bruises running down Josh's left arm and the dried blood that had run down his ear onto his neck.

"What happened to you?" Ashley asked.

"My first opponent, that demon, was really tough." Josh said. "How did you do?"

"Okay," Jason replied. "It was weird though. We both had to deal with those things spacing out and ignoring pain."

"Yeah, well my first one could regenerate, and the second one escaped."

"You think they'll be back?" Billy asked.

"I don't know," Josh said lowering his head and stretching. "If these are just more of Zedd's army they weren't here when I worked for him."

"What time is it?" Adam asked in a sudden panic.

"Local time is eight forty-three ante meridiem." Beta replied.

"You guys better get home," Jason said. "Josh and I can keep an eye on things here."

"You can," Josh said with a laugh," I haven't slept in a day and a half."

"We'll be back when we can," Billy said. "With the schools closed and the heightened security it might be tricky though."

"Do you really think it will come to a lockdown today?" Adam asked.

"Let's hope not," Kimberly said.

Three of the Rangers teleported out, leaving Kimberly with Josh and Jason.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kimberly asked Josh.

"Yeah," he replied rubbing her arm. "I just need to get some rest and heal up. It was a rough fight, but I'm okay."

"Okay, I need to talk to you about something later though." she looked at Jason. "It's really good to have you back again."

"I'm glad to be back with all of you too," Jason smiled.

Kimberly teleported out of the Command Center.

"Looks like you and I are going to be spending a lot of time here together," Jason said.

"I'm sorry you can't go home too," Josh said.

"Forget it, you weren't yourself. Besides now I have a chance to learn from the Shidokan champ,"

Josh smiled, "First I'm getting some sleep, then I'll give you some pointers."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Jason said as Josh left the room.

Joshua walked through a door into a small room that had a few cupboards and a little refrigerator. A Japanese style futon was rolled up in the corner. It had been a gift from Ninjor, and was probably a relic from the feudal period. Near it was a picture of his family that had been taken when they bought their new home. Several photo albums were stacked under it. Josh quietly unrolled the futon and laid down, in an instant he was asleep.

"If I ever return to the land of the living I will find a way to destroy Zedd!" Diabolico roared as flames and claws tore at his flesh, his wound regenerating.

The four demons sat confined to the Shadow Realm, a dark world of torment for destroyed spirits.

"At least you found a way to stop the Green Ranger," Loki growled.

"It took two of them to defeat me," Olympius boasted.

"And I faced three you whelp," Vypra snapped.

"It's obvious that the green one is more powerful than the others," Diabolico snarled.

"Does it make your defeat easier to take if you believe that?" Olympius mocked.

"What do you gain?" Loki snarled. "You're destroyed like the rest of us."

Olympius was silent for a moment as he choked back the pain as several deep gashes were raked into his flesh. "The simple satisfaction of knowing I am more powerful."

"No amount of power will help you now whelp," Diabolico growled.

Without warning a chain suddenly dropped between them, it hung swinging loosely in the air. Diabolico looked up to see a rectangular opening above them through which the chain extended.

"Up the chain," he ordered. "We're getting out of here."

Olympius was the first to grab hold, but Loki pulled him off and tossed him to Diabolico and Vypra who restrained him.

"Go," Diabolico said to Loki. "We will send the whelp once you have made it so he can not double cross us."

As Loki pulled himself through the opening he fell onto the ground of the tomb they had first seen when they were released. A burning heptagram had been constructed around the coffin. It seemed someone else knew their Dark Arcanum.

Below Diabolico released Olympius who quickly climbed up the chain with Vypra following closely behind. Finally Diabolico climbed out joining his kin in the tomb. Surveying the area he saw the burning icon and the chain which had been attached to the stonework of the ceiling.

"Who else could have known?" Vypra asked.

"I don't know," Diabolico replied.

"How would you like to help me destroy Zedd?" Came a sinister voice from the corner of the room.

"And what's in it for you?" Diabolico asked turning to face a pair of glowing red eyes.

"I get to see him die," the creature replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-6-

It was raining that day. Kimberly couldn't help but think it was appropriate that even the sky seemed to rain down its tears on this day. It had been raining the last time also, the day they had laid Jason, Zack, and Trini to rest. The rain drops hit her face mixing with her own tears as she and the other Rangers carried the coffin toward the steps of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. The street was lined with hundreds of soldiers from various branches who stood saluting as the Rangers passed through. As the five Rangers entered the amphitheater, their helmets removed in solemn respect, officers, world leaders, and government officials who were seated under their black umbrellas rose, giving respect to the young heroes as they bared the coffin of their fallen teammate.

Kimberly avoided eye contact as she walked with the others through the isles to the front of the Amphitheater. She couldn't believe this was happening. Three days ago everything had seemed almost perfect, the team had been whole again, and now one had fallen, and the Power Coin lost to the terrible carnage of Zedd's last attack. The Rangers had stopped Zedd's latest assault and drove the tyrant back to his Fortress in total defeat, but at the greatest price they had ever paid. Millions had died to stem the slaughter by the forces of darkness, yet they had only halted the violence, bought a little more time for their world. It had all happened so fast, what else could they have done? If only she could turn back the clock…

Joshua awoke from his sleep still feeling groggy. His body ached from the wounds that Loki had inflicted; more than anything though he was hungry. He realized he hadn't even eaten anything since he had left the other day. Rolling off his mat he picked at the refrigerator door with his foot knocking it open. He scanned through the random items he had, the cool air washing over him. Not seeing anything that looked appealing he pressed the door shut and rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up. He staggered to his feet looking around at the shelf that held his microwave. He spotted a bag with a small amount of salmon jerky in it. Taking it he wandered out into the main Command Center.

Jason was sitting at the holo display watching something, a room with two people, a man and a woman.

"What'cha doing?" Josh asked.

Jason whirled around startled, "Man, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Didn't mean too," Josh replied stretching his arm out offering the contents of his bag. "Salmon jerky?"

"No thanks," Jason replied as Josh sat down in another chair.

"So what'cha watching?" Josh repeated his question.

"Those are my parents." Jason sighed leaning back. "I was just checking up on them."

"You should go see them," Josh suggested. "I'm sure they could keep your secret."

Jason let out a deep sigh, "I can't,"

"Why not?"

"They already had to struggle through losing me once. I don't want to put them through that again."

Josh sat quietly watching the holo display, his mind drifting to his own family. What was the afterlife like? Were they off somewhere living in a home together just like on Earth, or were they all wandering around in the clouds in white robes. He hadn't considered it recently, but there was still so much he didn't know about what was out there. The revelation of the Go-Dai and the Construct had seemed like such huge matters that the universe had seemed smaller for a moment as he felt like he had a better grasp on the truth of things, but it didn't seem to last. Even with Ninjor's millennia of knowledge he still had so many unknowns. No one person could know it all, could they? No normal human could, so then if only certain truth could be known, what was important was figuring out which truths were important.

"You didn't sleep long," Jason said interrupting his train of thought.

"Hmm?" he replied in a daze. "How long was I out for?"

"An hour or two, are you really feeling rested?"

"I'm feeling more hungry than anything, I haven't eaten in about a day." He replied fishing out another piece of jerky and tossing it into his mouth. "Have you heard anything from the others?"

"No one's checked in yet. I think they're probably still sleeping."

"And you still don't feel tired at all?" Josh asked a little perplexed.

"I feel great,"

"Well let me go fix myself a meal and then you can join me for my morning exercise."

"You sure you don't want to get some sleep?" Jason asked.

"I'll have plenty of time for that later," Josh replied.

Adam walked down the stairs into the living room. His mother was on the phone.

"Oh looks like he just got up," she said holding out the phone toward Adam. "It's Rocky."

Adam walked over and took the phone from his mother.

"Rocky, how's it going?"

"Good, how are you doing?"

"Doing good,"

"Have you reconsidered doing the Martial Arts Tournament with Aisha and me in a few weeks?"

"I don't know, I've been really busy lately, haven't they been talking about cancelling that anyway with the recent attacks on Angel Grove?"

"Last I heard they were going to have it up the coast, place called Blue Bay Harbor."

"I'm just not sure Rocky,"

"Well, you want to at least come hang out with us today? We haven't seen you outside of school this week."

"Sorry about that, I've been hanging out with my some of my other friends from Angel Grove,"

"When are we going to get to meet them?"

"I don't know," Adam sighed. "Probably when things settle down. Maybe this winter break or during next summer."

"Are you still thinking of transferring to Angel Grove High?"

"Yeah," Adam said. "I just think it would make everything we're working on easier. You guys could always transfer too. I'm sure Aisha and Shawna would get along with Ashley and Kimberly."

"I still don't get what's so important that you have to change schools,"

"It's complicated," Adam replied.

"In other words, you don't want to talk about it."

"I just don't want to get into it first thing in the morning. How about I get some breakfast and then I'll meet you and Aisha at the park, we can go rollerblading?"

"Sounds good to me," Rocky said. "I'll give her a call and let her know what's going on."

"Kay, see you soon," Adam replied hanging up the phone.

"You know it's hard for them to understand," Adam's Mom said from the kitchen. "Your Father and I are confused by it too. You met these new kids last year and since then you've been spending a lot of time with them and now you're transferring to another school. Billy seems nice, but I haven't even met these two girls you hang out with."

"I know," Adam said. "But I've been helping with some really cool projects with these guys. It's just hard with the military running things to have a normal day, especially when we live in Stone Canyon."

"The two cities are practically on top of each other."

"I know Mom, but Kimberly lives on the West side of Angel Grove, Ashley's even further south. Maybe if one of us can get our driver's license it would be different, but it's a long way to walk, or blade."

"You seem to have no problem with it everyday,"

"Yeah, but I go down to help out, it makes more sense for me to go down than for everyone else to come up. I know you want to meet them, but it is so inconvenient right now with school and the whole military control." Adam's tone was slightly annoyed.

"Okay," his Mom replied with a sigh. "What about Josh though? He's the one who introduced you to everyone else and I've never met him."

"He's been busy lately," Adam said. "I've hardly seen him. Anyway I'm going to go shower before I go to the park."

"Okay, do you want me to fix you anything for breakfast?"

"No thanks, I'll probably just have some cereal." Adam said as he headed back up the stairs.

Adam's Mom watched him go. The whole situation didn't sit well with her. If all these people lived so far out how did he meet them? This Joshua character bothered her the most, he seemed more like a phantom. Adam always dodged around the issue of where he lived and why he had even been at Adam's school that day; other than he was recruiting for a community service project. Maybe it was nothing, but if so why was Adam so evasive with answers, and what was the pull that was causing him to distance himself from his closest friends? Maybe his Father would have better luck getting him to open up.

The image flashed across the screen; Pink Ranger leapt over the dragon demon sending several arrows into the creature's upper body, the creature held fast as he and the Red Ranger were locked together. The image of the demon was blocked as the Pink Ranger landed behind him and fired several more shots.

"That was so cool!" David shouted almost leaping from the edge of the couch.

Kimberly smiled from the kitchen table.

"That was the scene early this morning as the Red and Pink Rangers arrived to deal with the latest in what appears to be a series of attacks by Lord Zedd. The two Rangers were able to quickly take down this latest monster and his forces before racing off to meet the next threat."

The image shifted to a suburban area at night, the caption at the bottom reading 'Alice Springs, Australia'.

"Unfortunately not all of the Ranger's efforts met with as much success. In Alice Springs many awoke to find loved ones dead, though no evidence has yet been discovered as to the identity of the killer or killers. However, witnesses report the Green Ranger did battle with a monster in a local park."

The image shifted to footage that had been borrowed from a local news network. A man was standing out on the street, his face illuminated from a light coming from the camera. A park behind him was lit up by the red and yellow lights of emergency vehicles.

"There was this loud booming noise, and the ground shook, I thought it was an earthquake or a meteor. So I go to the window and I can't see anything. So as I'm looking around I see this burst of green light, like it was bursting through something. Well I went to check it out, and when I got there I saw a Power Ranger, the one with the gold shoulder plates. He was fighting this big black monster, demon thing…"

The man continued to talk as the video went back to the studio.

"While the Green Ranger appears to have defeated the monster in Australia over a hundred people died from loss of blood though no injuries were present."

"Like vampires!" David exclaimed his eyes getting wide.

"The situation continued to be worse in other countries as the attacks occurred in heavily populated areas in both Santa Cruz in Bolivia and Astana in Kazakhstan. The battle finally ended in Central Africa late this morning as the Rangers engaged, as of yet, unknown forces in a large scale battle that required the use of the Ranger's war machines, which they refer to as 'Zords'. As of yet no information has been released to the media as to the nature of the attack; however, UN peacekeepers have quarantined the areas and have begun evacuating locals."

"Do you have to keep watching this?" Kimberly's Mother asked coming into the living room.

"I want to see the Power Rangers Mom!" David protested.

"Morning Sweetie," her Mom said walking into the kitchen. "You sleep well?"

"Yeah," Kimberly replied picking up her bowl and taking it to the sink.

"Are you going out today?"

"Yeah, Josh got back late last night, and brought an old friend with him."

"Just be careful today, and stay out of public places,"

"Don't worry Mom, I will." Kimberly replied as she started to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to get ready and then go,"

"At least she's happy today, that's what's important." Her Mother said to herself.

"Man that hurts!" Jason said lowering his leg. The dirt on his black jeans indicating the position his shin had impacted the stone column. "How long did you say you did this for?"

"It takes years to master Shaolin, decades even." Josh replied. "I have the mental aspects down, but my body still needs to be toughened. You just have to work through the pain, just try not to break anything, that's not pain you can work through."

"Should it be this hard though, I mean I learned how to break boards?"

"Your body will adjust, we don't give our bodies the credit they deserve; they're very adaptable. By learning to break wood you began to learn the techniques, now you just need to apply them fully."

"Still," Jason stalled as the pain in his leg subsided. "This feels more like I'm destroying my body."

"Yes, well the weakness of it anyway. It's like when you develop a callous, you rub your skin raw maybe even end up with blisters, but in the end the body adapts and your skin hardens to prevent future injury. Just don't push too hard, it should hurt, but it shouldn't incapacitate you. As you practice your bones and muscles will toughen."

Joshua got into a fighting stance by the pillar; taking a deep breath he threw a kick striking the stone. The massive rock shook as he made contact, small hairline cracks went out from the point of impact.

"That's impressive," Jason said observing the cracks. "Is that how you shattered my Ranger armor?"

"No," Josh said preparing another strike. He took a deep breath and launched another strike. As his leg connected with the column the rock shattered throwing stone fragments away from the impact point; the massive pillar broke, the upper piece falling off the base. The ground shook as the upper piece landed.

"That's how I broke through your armor."

"What did you do?"

"I manipulated the energy of the stone; in humans the Chinese called it Chi, it's like an aura that all things have, living or not. I can sense it better when I'm morphed, without my enhanced sense though I can only use it if I have a moment to clear my mind and focus."

"So what are you doing?"

"Billy equated it once to resonant frequency,"

"And that would be?" Jason asked smiling.

"Essentially when the aura resists my attack I change my attack and flow with the resistance. The more resistance an object has the more energy I can draw in and throw back at it."

"That's what Kimberly did this morning." Jason said quietly.

"What?" Josh replied very interested.

"You'd have to get the details from her, but she used this attack against that monster we fought in DC, she did something to it, shattered its bone through its armor, but it didn't scratch the armor at all."

"Hmm,"

"What is it?"

"It's just interesting," Joshua replied. "I never taught her how to do this. And this happened this morning?"

"She said she had been able to do it the other day, when you were gone."

"I'll have to ask her about it."

"I have a question about it."

"Yeah?"

"You went through that stone pretty easy, so why did she smash her hand up on that thing's armor?"

"She must have attacked against only one aura."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything generates an aura, even your clothes. Normally I could ignore the aura of something like cloth, but with armor it's different. You have to draw in both auras, of course they resist differently, so it becomes tricky. When I attacked you in the park I only used the energy from your armor, if I had been able to use both I would have punched straight through you."

"How did you even learn how to do this anyway?"

"They certainly don't teach it," Josh said with a smile. "I realized it through a lot of meditation and development of my body. It takes very fine muscle control to do what I just did. To move with the aura I have to redirect the force of my attack, but it is done in a very controlled circular motion. If I were to reverse it fully I would lose nearly all of my momentum. Instead I sacrifice a small amount of my force and use it to increase my striking power beyond what any human is capable of, and I can do even better with my Ranger powers."

Out of the corner of his eye Josh noticed a pink streak enter the Command Center.

"Looks like Kimberly's here," Josh commented.

"Just as well," Jason replied. "I think I've had about all I can take of your training regiment today. I think tomorrow I could do without the Shaolin portion,"

"That's too bad," Josh smiled. "We're no where near done,"

"How long do you usually train each day?" Jason asked.

"Two to three hours usually, though on a quiet day I might train for six hours or more."

"Looks like I've got a long way to go,"

The two of them walked up the hillside toward the Command Center.

Billy opened his eyes and stared at the blurry image on his clock radio. It was a little after eleven. He sat up and stretched his arms as he kicked his feet onto the floor. He couldn't believe he had slept so long. The sunlight was forcefully pushing against his closed blinds basking the room in a fiery light. Taking his contact lenses from the nightstand he put them in and then took his communicator, strapping it to his wrist.

"Beta, status report." Billy said activating his communicator.

"No new activity detected."

"Where are the other Rangers?"

"Joshua, Kimberly, Jason location, Command Center. Adam location, Oak Street, Stone Canyon. Ashley location, two one five three West Jefferson, Angel Grove.

It looked like almost everyone else was up; of course it was possible Ashley was up, but still at her house. Billy rose to his feet collecting his thoughts. There was no telling where Zedd would strike next. They needed to be more vigilant than usual. This was going to get more complicated just because as Zedd's activity increased it would be harder to slip away; it may come down to having to tell his parents he was a Power Ranger.

Billy shook the thought from his mind as he walked over to his closet and removed a navy blue button up shirt and put it on. He left his room buttoning his shirt. As he came down the stairs his mother greeted him.

"Morning William, were you up late with another project?"

"Yes,"

"So much like your Father."

"Did he have to go into work today?"

"They did give him the option of staying home, but he has a huge project he's involved in and you know how he gets."

Billy just smiled.

"So do you have any plans today?" His Mother asked.

"I was going to see what everyone else was up to before I made any decisions."

"Well I have to take some files in to your Father, so if you go out make sure to leave me a note so I know where to reach you."

"Okay," Billy replied.

His Mother smiled and turned to leave. As she reached the door she grabbed several black folders that had been sitting on the end-table. Exiting the house she turned and smiled at her son one last time shutting the door behind her. Billy let out a sigh. Walking over to the cupboard he opened it and pulled out a granola bar, he left the kitchen as he ate it.

Proceeding through the living room he came to the garage door and entered. He headed for a phone sitting on his desk. A small robotic lever was holding down the switch-hook, wires ran from it out of the phone. The cord, instead of running to a handset, was connected to a small dome which was also plugged in to a near by powerstrip. Billy turned the phone ringer on and slid another switch located on the small dome. As two green LEDs lit up on the dome and began to alternate Billy turned and left the garage.

Returning to the kitchen he grabbed a note pad and scribbled a phone number down on it. Then, tossing the wrapper from his granola bar in the garbage he activated his communicator and teleported.

"Sir, Captain Mitchell is here to see you,"

"Send him in," General Hamren replied from behind his desk.

The General was a large man, though he had a desk job, it was obvious that he had continued to train as he moved up through the ranks. His dark brown hair had begun to show strands of silver, though his face still held great strength within its chiseled features.

Captain Mitchell entered the room. "You wanted to see me General?"

"Have a seat Captain," he replied, his ice blue eyes staring at him across the room.

Captain Mitchell sat down a little uneasy. It was indeed uncommon for him to talk to the General in person, and in his experience it was never a good thing when the chain of command was broken. The General took a moment more to look over some material on the desk before him. Mitchell noted that the top of one of the documents contained the word 'Lightspeed', the designation for the project he was currently in charge of.

"Do you know why you're here?" the General asked setting the documents aside.

"I assume it has something to do with the lack of progress for project Lightspeed." Mitchell replied.

"Did you see the news this morning?"

"No sir,"

The General grabbed another folder that was on his desk and tossed it to the far side for the Captain. Mitchell took the folder and opened it. Several photos were on top; the first showed a golden warrior, a demon of sorts, butchering a man; part of a blood filled symbol was visible, as were the limbs of other creatures. As he continued to flip through the pictures he saw other creatures in different parts of the world baring striking similarities to the first.

"These were taken by our satellites around O six hundred today."

"These are…" Mitchell was stunned.

"Yes, these are the 'demons' that were sealed away."

"We simply aren't ready for this sir; the Zords are still in the early stages, and…"

The General stopped him, "These four were defeated by the Power Rangers this morning, all except for Diabolico who retreated according the UN report."

"Are you planning on shutting down the Lightspeed project then?"

"On the contrary," Hamren began leaning forward. "I want you to step up your efforts even more."

"Sir?"

"I've read the reports from Colonel Jameson, and you may have been on track to develop a working prototype within the next five years, but times have changed. We have a threat sitting up on our own moon and the only forces we currently have that can effectively deal with this threat are a group of individuals we know almost nothing about. Our existing special forces are helping us bridge the gap between our own soldiers and those of the enemy, but we have nothing that can compare with Zedd's higher ranking warriors. We need a working prototype within the next six months or sooner."

"But sir," Mitchell began to protest. "We have no idea how their technology works. It's easily millennia ahead of where we're at. It just isn't realistic."

"Then I suggest you find a way to get a hold of their technology, by any means necessary. The fate of our planet may well depend on it. Dismissed."

Mitchell restrained himself though he was seething under the surface. He rose from his chair, saluted and left the room. Hamren sat back in his chair. What they really needed was to get their hands on a suit of Ranger armor. If only they had been allowed to detain the Green Ranger, they could have begun to reverse engineer the technology. Still if only there were a way to capture one of the Rangers, just long enough to run some tests. Of course time was a luxury that was not on their side. Perhaps something more forceful would have to be arranged.

Three large vessels broken from the void of hyperspace coming into orbit above Zedd's lunar fortress illuminating the sky in a brilliant red. The lead craft resembled a shark, but longer and more flattened with several pair of fins running down the sides. The two other vessels bore some resemblance to aircraft carriers of earth, but designed for space. The twin decks extended to thin points. The bottom of the craft thickened toward the back where three heavily armored towers rose, the middle being slightly higher than the other two.

Zedd stood on his balcony watching the new arrivals. Astronema also watched by his side, though she was irritated with the arrival of the Megalodon. It should be enough that the fighter carriers Vengeance and Fury had arrived. They didn't need any help from her.

"I know what you're thinking." Zedd said disrupting her thoughts.

"Forgive me my Lord," Astronema replied.

"If you knew my plans you would know why we need her here."

"But she has never been loyal to the Empire my Lord."

"And that is why before this day ends she will die." Zedd replied coldly.

Astronema smiled as she turned her gaze back up toward the giant craft.

Josh and Jason entered the Command Center. Kimberly was sitting in a chair watching something on the holo-display. As they drew closer they could see the Green Ranger battling with the golden demon and his forces. Kimberly seemed intensely focused on the image of the Green Ranger and his rapid movements.

"What is that?" Jason asked.

Kimberly jumped uttering a startled cry.

"It's battle data from this morning." Joshua replied. "All our fights are recorded and stored in the Command Center Mainframe for future review."

"You scared me," Kimberly said. "Are you done training already?"

"I am," Jason said laughing. "After twenty minutes of Josh's training I need to take the rest of the day off."

"I'll probably go back out, but you had said you wanted to talk to me?" Josh replied.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied. "Jason you should see this footage though, Josh is moving so fast everyone else seems to be in super slow motion."

"Really?" Jason said sitting down in front of the holo-display. "How do you restart this thing?"

"Beta, restart battle footage J Raine Khazkstan." Kimberly said.

"Compliance," Beta responded.

As the visuals began to play again Kimberly turned to Josh. "Can we talk outside?"

"Sure," Josh replied. "Be back in a bit Jason."

"Yeah," Jason replied engrossed in the footage being displayed.

Josh and Kimberly walked out of the main room and through the large doorway leading outside. Kimberly stretched as the warm sun fell softly on her face, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Josh asked as the two walked along the perimeter of the Command Center.

"Well while you were gone there was this thing I did, it's really hard to explain it." She searched for the words.

"You learned how to use the defensive aura of a target against it?" Josh offered.

"How did…?"

"Jason mentioned it. He said you hit your hand pretty hard this morning when you tried it."

"Yeah," Kimberly smiled. "But the day before I did it against a monster and it totally destroyed him, well mostly."

"What you are doing is a technique I learned, maybe even invented, where you manipulate the defensive aura of an attacker, effectively you draw in the target's defensive energy and then use it against him."

"So what happened this morning then?"

"Well Jason said you destroyed the creature's body, but didn't even put a dent in the armor?"

"Yeah there were two of those aura thingies, and I guess I chose the wrong one?"

"One aura was the armor the other was from the creature itself."

"So armor has an aura?"

"Everything has an aura. Billy thinks it might be electromagnetic force that makes up these auras."

"Electromagnetic force?" Kimberly asked.

"Well as Billy explained it, since all atoms have electrons and all things are mostly empty space we never really touch anything, we react with the electromagnetic force of objects. It's the force of the electrons in all things that repel from each other and from that we get resistance."

"Okay," Kimberly said. "I'm not sure I understand all that."

"Billy had to explain it to me several times as well, and even then I needed pictures." Josh said smiling. "But that's not really important I suppose."

"So how do I know which aura I should attack?"

"Well generally speaking you should always attack the strongest aura. Sometimes there are more than two. Ideally I want to reach the point where I can manipulate them all at once, but it takes such a fine degree of control and sensitivity that it's beyond me at the moment."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure,"

"Are you okay?"

"How do you mean?" Josh asked a little confused.

"You've been pushing yourself really hard, and then with all the fighting going on lately, the people who you haven't been able to save."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was watching the footage from Khazkstan for the third time when you arrived, Josh I saw you when you found the doll."

Josh was quiet as he looked off into the distance. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"How many more people are going to have to die?" Josh asked.

Kimberly stood staring into his eyes. She could see the pain behind them, the glistening of tears that began to creep through. She took his hands into her own.

"Josh, thousands of people could have died if you hadn't shown up."

"That's why I push myself so hard Kim," Josh replied looking her in the eyes. "Because if I don't, Zedd will kill everyone…" he paused for a moment. "And too many people have died already."

"You don't have to face Zedd alone," Kimberly said embracing him. "We're all here for you. Together we will stop him."

The doors to Zedd's throne room swung open as a woman entered. She was clad in a dark red material like vinyl which covered her body, with the exception of her arms and head. Around her body was a black gold plated, armored corset, which held numerous jewels. On her arms were black gloves that extended nearly to her shoulders. Gauntlets were on her forearms, though they were like the corset, it seemed they had a more functional use. On her feet were a pair of black knee-high leather stilettos. Her face was unobstructed except for the gold crown that ran across her brow and down the sides of her face. Her long dark purple hair hung down behind her crown over her gold shoulder plates to which was attached a midnight blue cape which came down just past her knees.

To either side of her were her Piranhatron bodyguards. The brass humanoid forms looked as if they were encased in metal dive suits, with the exception of the whirling vortex of tentacle blades that spun around their hands like a nervous twitch. Their heads were thin and fish like, the eyes on the sides of the head, with another array of tentacle like blades around the mouth.

It sickened Astronema to even look at her. She walked as if she had power, but it was nothing more than arrogance. She glared at her coldly holding her tongue. Lord Zedd had promised her death before the day was over, she could wait until then.

"Greetings Divatox," Zedd said.

"My Lord," Divatox replied respectfully bowing slightly.

Astronema nodded in acknowledgement of her, which Divatox returned. She may be arrogant, but no one was defiant in the presence of Lord Zedd. His presence alone was dreadful, even to her, and it had taken years for her to learn to function in his presence. Others, like Goldar, had taken to it more readily, though many had been in the service of evil for millennia, in that regard she was young.

"I require your services," Zedd said coldly.

"Of course my Lord," Divatox replied.

"You and your forces will accompany mine to the planet surface to attack Angle Grove. You will provide the ground forces while my Velocifighters provide air support. If I deem it necessary I will also provide Quantrons to assist your ground forces."

"I believe my Piranhatrons can handle things on the ground my Lord,"

"That will be for me to decide," Zedd said his tone growing slightly hostile.

"Of course my Lord, I meant no disrespect." She said her voice unable to conceal her fear.

"Then return to the Megalodon and prepare your forces for a ground assault."

"As you wish my Lord," Divatox replied as she bowed and turned to leave.

Astronema watched her go. As the giant doors closed behind her Zedd turned to Astronema.

"Is Serpentera operational?"

"It will be within the hour."

"And what of Cyclopsis?"

"Lokar has been unable to find a suitable source of magic to power the Zord and the existing Arcanum converter is still damaged."

"Very well, begin the attack." Zedd said rising to his feet.

"Yes my Lord,"

Billy was talking with Jason as Josh and Kimberly came back into the Command Center.

"Ashley can't leave her house today," Billy said as the two teens approached him.

"And what about Adam?" Josh asked.

"I think he went to see his other friends in Stone Canyon." Billy replied.

"Hopefully things will be quiet today," Josh said. "I suppose I should get back to my train…"

Josh was cut short as the alarms began to sound in the Command Center. The four teens quickly rushed to the holo-display.

"Beta bring up the visual!" Billy shouted over the alarms.

"Compliance," Beta responded, the alarms quieting.

The holo-display was showing the Dark Fortress along with three other large craft approaching Earth.

"I recognize two of those ships," Josh said. "They're space carriers used to transport Velocifighters. This other ship though, I've never seen before."

"Beta, map trajectory and calculate a probable point of contact." Billy ordered.

"Trajectory mapped, target, Angel Grove."

"Billy, what are our options?" Jason asked.

"With the modifications I made to the Ultra and Titan Zord's tank modes we may be able to engage those targets before they reach Angel Grove."

"What do you mean may be able to?" Jason asked.

"Well the maximum effective range of the main cannons is still untested."

"Warning, ground forces in transit." Beta stated.

"Give me a visual," Billy said.

The Megalodon had begun deploying some form of drop pods which were being fired from ports on the bottom of the craft.

"We need to get out there now," Jason said.

"Beta contact Ashley and Adam, tell them we need them now," Billy said. "And notify the military."

Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Shawna were sitting on a park bench. It had been nice to get together with his old friends again. Adam was realizing how much he missed just having friends. No big secrets, no responsibilities, just being able to have fun without the fate of the world hanging in the balance was refreshing.

"Glad you could make it out today Adam," Aisha said.

"Me too," Adam replied. "Sorry I've been so busy lately."

"It's okay," Rocky said. "Sorry I was giving you such a hard time earlier. It's just we never know what's going on with you anymore."

"Yeah," Adam sigh leaning his head back staring at the sky.

"So have you changed your mind about the tournament?" Aisha asked.

"It's not that I don't want to," Adam said. "I'm just not sure with everything else going on if I can commit to the whole thing. I mean what if I miss practice? Or if something should come up the day of the tournament?"

"Can't you just tell them you need the day off?" Shawna asked.

"It isn't that simple," Adam said. "I made a commitment when I started volunteering to help out, I can't just say no. You guys understand, right?"

"I do," Rocky replied. "Maybe we could get an alternate incase you can't make it?"

"Well, maybe…"

Adam's communicator beeped.

"What was that?" Aisha asked.

"Sorry, just my alarm." Adam replied hitting the mute button on the communicator.

"Oh my god," Shawna said in total shock. Standing up, she turned toward Angel Grove.

"What?" Rocky asked as he turned to look.

The others looked up to see streaks of fire raining from the sky like meteors. They appeared to be heading for the downtown area of Angle Grove. Suddenly the top of one of the skyscrapers exploded as one of the flaming objects impacted it. The girls gasped, other cries could be heard from around the park.

"We need to get out of here!" Rocky shouted.

"I need to get back to my Mom, she's home alone." Adam replied.

"Go," Rocky said. "I'll call you later,"

"Be careful," Aisha added.

As the others took off Adam ducked behind a tree and grabbed his morpher.

Ashley was sitting on her bed reading ahead in her text books. If she was going to be cooped up in the house she might as well make sure that when she did get to go out she wouldn't have to worry about homework. She knew things were bad out there, but it wasn't like she was in any danger, in fact if she was at the Command Center she would be safer there than anywhere else in Angel Grove. Of course she really couldn't explain that little fact to her Mother. Still it could be worse she could be stuck in the house without the ability to teleport anywhere she wanted to go. Though there was no sense in going anywhere yet, maybe if things were quiet this morning her Mom would change her mind.

Suddenly the communicator beeped.

"So much for that idea," Ashley said as she activated the com.

"Attack on downtown Angel Grove. Rangers request immediate assistance." Came Beta's voice though the device.

Well it wasn't like she wanted to be stuck here all day anyway. Ashley reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out her morpher.

The four Rangers materialized in the downtown area. Chaos had already taken hold, buildings were exploding as more and more of the drop pods crashed through them on their freefall. The earth shook and explosions rang in the air as pod after pod slammed through concrete, vehicles, and asphalt around the city. Cars had been left, abandoned in the streets, as people had fled. Even over the noise the faint sound of screaming could be heard. Without warning a pod slammed into the street mere feet from where the Rangers were standing, the force of the impact throwing them to the ground.

Josh quickly leapt to his feet; the others rose, staring at the crater. Slowly three brass machines clawed their way up from the hole. As they saw the Rangers the tentacle blades of their mouths unfurled and began to whirl wildly as did the blades on their arms.

"Great," Josh said hurling a fireball at the lead one causing it to stop as it was momentarily disoriented.

The other Rangers manifested their weapons. Kimberly immediately let two shots fly which pierced the heads of the machines. As the two Piranhatrons dropped Jason leapt over them and slashed the other in half sending sparks and some shrapnel flying.

"We need to spread out Rangers," Jason said. "There are going to be a lot more of those things."

Ashley teleported in, before anyone could say a word Adam also appeared.

"What's going on?" Adam asked.

"We're being invaded!" Josh shouted over the explosions. "Those things are transports." He added pointing up.

"Transports for what?" Ashley asked.

"For those!" Billy shouted pointing at a large group of Piranhatrons that had come running around a corner.

As they closed the Rangers could see the blood and shredded remains that had been splattered across them. Ashley and Adam manifested their weapons as the Piranhatrons stormed in, blades whirling.

High above, on the Fortress balcony, Lokar looked out with his arcane powers observing the fight. It was time to sow chaos and make these pathetic creatures cower at the power of his Lord. Lokar spread his arms as he began to utter an incantation in a strange language.

The Rangers clashed with the Piranhatrons. Several arrows pierced the heads of the lead Piranhatrons as the other Rangers leapt over their collapsing bodies. Josh was the first to strike, landing two quick punches and a side-kick against three of the abominations sending a hail of debris through the other Piranhatrons. Ashley landed plunging a dagger into the mouth of a Piranhatron tearing through the head like tinfoil. The whirling teeth within the mouth scratched at her armor, but lacked the power to break through. Adam landed bringing his axe down on one of the machines cleaving it in two and quickly whirling it around and decapitating another. Jason swung his sword through the mob of warriors, slashing clean through several of them and cutting deep gashes into others, showering the Rangers in a flurry of sparks. Billy punched his lance into the chest of one of the Piranhatrons then, pulling back, plunged it into the back of another. Breaking his lance into its twin parts he slashed out to his sides decapitating two others.

"They don't seem to be too well built," Billy said.

"They don't have to be," Josh said slamming the heads of two together, their blades reducing the opposing head to ribbons and shrapnel. "These are just a distraction."

"And one we can't ignore." Jason said knocking a Piranhatron back with a well placed kick before decapitating another.

There was another loud explosion somewhere above.

"Look out!" Kimberly shouted.

The Rangers looked in time to see massive rubble falling toward them from the building above. With incredible reflexes, the Rangers leap out of the way, leaving many Piranhatrons to be crushed under steel beams and concrete. As the dust blew outward Josh spied a lone Piranhatron straining to free itself; its lower body crushed under a steel beam. In a quick motion Josh grabbed a piece of rubble from the ground and slung it at the Piranhatron's head. The mess of concrete and rebar smashed the robot's head like an empty can; its arms collapsing.

"We need to spread out and try to get as many people out as possible." Jason said. "Then we'll regroup and worry about the approaching ships."

"What ships?" Adam asked.

Jason was about to respond when he noticed it seemed unusually dark out. Looking up into the sky he could see the sun, but something was wrong.

"Look!" Jason said pointing up.

Amid the rain of drop pods the sun was being consumed by a dark cloud that was getting blacker by the moment striking the light from the sky.

"This has to be Lokar's doing," Josh said.

"Why would he eclipse the sun though?" Ashley asked.

"To create chaos," Josh replied coldly.

"There is something else," Billy said. "The Mega Zord uses more power than the individual components contribute. One of the external sources of power it relies on is solar. In fact, given the advanced level of the solar technology, a large percentage of the extra power comes from the sun; with the sun blotted out we will be significantly weaker if we need the Mega Zord."

"What about the other Zord configurations?" Jason asked.

"They would all be affected," Billy replied shaking his head. "Titanus and the Dragon Zord gather more energy from wind and water than our Zords, but with the imbalance created by the darkness we still have no way to be at full strength."

"Then we should try to form the Ultra Zord tank now, before we lose the ability to shoot down any of those ships," Kimberly said.

"I agree," Jason said.

The Rangers called for their Zords as Josh leapt to the top of a building. As the other Zords started to teleport into the downtown area Josh pulled his Dragon Dagger from its holster and began to play its haunting melody. From the distant ocean the Dragon Zord stirred and began moving toward the shore.

The other Rangers leapt to their Zords, locking into the controls and engaging Mega Zord sequence. Dragon Zord teleported to the battle zone and began unraveling to join the other Zords. Its torso attached forming large missile batteries on the shoulders, the head tucking into the Pterodactyl. The legs folded around the long cannon barrels, the guards on the legs facing upward.

"Mega Dragon Zord sequence complete." Billy thought.

"Alright, call Titanus." Jason replied.

Titanus materialized behind the Rangers and began to open as the Dragon Mega Zord backed into it. Josh quickly left the rooftop and entered the Zord as Titanus' massive frame encased the Zord.

A drop pod hit the Zord, wedging into a joint, but was crushed flat as the massive machine transformed. With the main cannon sliding forward the Zord rotated to face the incoming vessels. Onboard, visuals were coming up; Billy was already locking onto the targets.

"We may only get a single shot," Billy thought."

"So what do we fire at?" Adam asked.

"We should take out the Dark Fortress." Ashley suggested.

"I don't think that would be wise," Josh interjected.

"Why not?" Ashley asked.

"The shields on the Dark Fortress could repel our attack and we will have wasted it, I would suggest we take out one of the two carriers, they have minimal shielding, they're not built for direct combat."

"Your thoughts Billy?" Jason asked.

"Josh is right, we should attack one of the carriers, I can't say for certain if we have the power to penetrate the shields of either the Dark Fortress or the unknown vessel, but since the unknown seems to have unloaded quiet a bit of cargo, it would make more sense to target one of the craft that has not had a chance to release any."

"Then prepare to fire!" Jason ordered.

The Ultra Zord Tank fired several large stakes into the ground from the lower carriage, each expanding and locking the Zord in place.

"Anchors deployed," Billy thought. "Target locked, ready to fire Jason."

"Fire!"

The air became statically charged for an instant as weapon capacitors charged. Then with a huge burst all the weapons discharged, ripping up asphalt as the Zord shifted back several meters. An EMP burst radiated, destroying everything electrical within four city blocks. Piranhatrons sparked and collapsed, their whirling blades carving into concrete before coming to a stop.

On board the Megalodon Divatox was watching the carnage on her monitor. To her right stood Rygog, an alien cyborg standing just over two meters high. To her left was Elgar, also cyberized, but far less useful than Rygog. Behind them at a console was Porto, her science adviser. Being from a planet with a much denser atmosphere he wore a black pressure suit reminiscent of an earth dive suit. The only opening was a port at the front of the helmet revealing a skeletal alien face though a foggy plate lit by a deep black light.

"Entering the atmosphere now," Porto's deep gravely voice came through his com box.

"Rygog what is the status of our forces?" Divatox asked.

"Nearly all of our Piranhatron have been deployed." The cyborg replied in a low pitched voice that betrayed its synthetic nature.

"Good, I don't want to have to land during this little invasion of Zedd's."

"Something troubles you Captain?"

"This whole thing troubles me," Divatox said exhaling a frustrated breath. "I don't think Zedd has any intention of paying us or letting us live."

"Then why did you answer his call?" Elgar asked.

"Because if I hadn't we would be running for our lives right now," Divatox replied with a glare. "At least now we have a chance to survive."

"You think this whole thing is going to go poorly for us?" Rygog asked.

"Just make sure our rift drive is fully charged and ready to deploy immediately." Divatox replied.

"Massive power fluctuations from the planet surface," Porto said.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a massive hail of laser fire, charged particles and missiles slammed into one of the carriers. The lasers turning the already heated hull into a near liquid state; the missile and particle hits blasting the super structure apart with little trouble. The crafts exploded in a ball of fire sending shrapnel in all directions.

"Incoming transmission," Porto said.

"Bring it up," Divatox replied.

Astronema appeared on the screen, her face hidden behind the black plate of her battle armor. Her yellow eyes stared coldly at Divatox.

"Target the Ranger's Zord and open fire," she said abruptly before cutting the transmission.

"I'd like to throw her out an airlock," Divatox mumbled. "All batteries open fire!"

"What's the status?" Jason asked.

"With the sun now at ninety-five percent opacity, Ultra Zord's ability to recharge has been reduced to twenty percent." Billy replied.

"English," Kimberly reminded him.

"The sun's almost gone and it'll take several minutes before we can do anything more than move."

"Incoming!" Ashley shouted.

A barrage of laser fire and charged particles hammered down on the Ultra Zord scorching and destroying armor. Billy quickly pulled the anchors back in as the Zord slowly lurched forward.

"It's no use," Billy thought. "With so little power we can hardly move at all."

"Then get the Zords out of here," Jason said as the massive machine shook under the weight of the attack. "Everyone eject!"

The Rangers launched from the Zord cockpit as the teleportation system removed the Zord from combat, disassembling it in transport and returning the individual Zords to their hangers. The Rangers landed on the streets; it was now very dark, like a moonless night. The only sources of light were the fires that were burning around the city.

"What do we do now?" Kimberly asked.

"We still need to make sure everyone gets out alright, especially with the night giving a lot of cover to Zedd's forces." Jason said.

"Though the EMP we generated when we fired should have cleared out quiet a few of them," Billy said.

"Split into teams of two," Jason said.

Suddenly the air around them began to crackle. A red orb appeared down the street from them, nearly ten stories up. Lightning arced from it striking nearby buildings setting them ablaze. Then in a sudden surge the orb expanded destroying everything it touched before fading away leaving a towering presence.

"Cyclopsis," Josh said under his breath.

"New plan," Jason said. "Josh you get that thing. Billy, you and Adam take that way," he said pointing left. "Ashley, Kimberly you have the right, and I'll take that way," he said pointing down the street.

"Oh sure, give me the easy job," Josh said grabbing his Dragon Dagger. He began to play as the Rangers went their separate ways.

From the cockpit of the massive War Zord Goldar had spotted his quarry. He wasted no time in locking his weapons on the lone human standing before him.

"Die Green Ranger!" Goldar shouted, his voice distorted and deepened by the Zord's audio output. Two chest plates rose revealing rows of missiles which immediately launched.

Josh turned to run, but knew he had few options as the torrent of missiles raced toward him like a swarm of hornets. There was a sudden chain of explosions as several of the missiles detonated, the Dragon Zord teleporting in between Josh and Cyclopsis. The Zord rocked attempting to stabilize itself in the sudden attack. Joshua wasted no time in leaping to the cockpit. As he interfaced he realized his Zord was still dangerously low on power from their previous attack, it was obvious he was going to be the underdog in this fight.

Cyclopsis drew its arms up extending massive blades from the forearms. As the arms came back down the war machine began to charge forward, the blades cutting along the surface of the street as the distance between the two Zords closed.

"I'm going to feast on your flesh!" Goldar roared.

"Beta, I need a thermal scan of the downtown area, locate survivors and relay the information to the closest Ranger, or team of Rangers. Exclude Joshua from this." Billy said.

"Compliance," Beta responded over the com.

Billy and Adam came to a stop at a new intersection looking around for a moment. Billy was looking through the area using his infrared, but was finding little outside the visual spectrum that was of any use. As he ran through several other visual modes he noticed there was a high level of electromagnetic interference.

"Beta, what is the source of the EM interference?" Billy said.

"Source Zedd's Fortress, area saturation is reducing effectiveness of scan, unable to pinpoint."

"Find a way to clean it up, or reduce it,"

"Compliance."

"What's going on?" Adam asked.

"We're being jammed." Billy replied. "Zedd has a wide area jamming field all around Angel Grove, even out to the Command Center, I think he's trying to keep his activities a secret."

"So what do we do?" Adam asked.

"We do the best we can."

Billy and Adam looked around for a moment trying to find the source of any activity.

"Isn't it strange we haven't seen anymore of those machines?" Adam asked.

"They could be busy pursuing the civilian population," Billy suggested. "They don't seem too well built, more like terror weapons than an actual military force. The dispersal of pods over the city is pretty scattered too; though they seem to have stopped."

The two looked around the darkened sky, not seeing a single streak of fire.

"Beta, have the transport craft stopped falling?"

"Affirmative, Unknown Vessel deployed last pod twenty-two point six seconds ago."

"What is the status of the other ships?"

"Attack force will reach Angel Grove airspace in ten minutes forty-eight seconds."

"We're running out of time," Billy said.

"We better make the most of it then," Adam replied.

Billy nodded as the two began to run down the street looking for any signs of life.

"Help us!" A man shouted to Jason as he rounded the corner.

Several people were weaving through the mess of abandoned cars trying to keep away from two Piranhatrons which followed closely behind them. Jason drew his Blade Blaster and converted it to Blaster mode. He fired two shots into each of the Piranhatrons their blades ripping into the car bodies as they fell.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked.

"I think so," the man replied checking his body for injuries.

"Janet!" One of the other men shouted.

Red Ranger, along with three men and a woman, ran toward the shout. As Jason arrived he saw a woman propped up against a car. Her body was severely cut up, her left arm had been cut off above the elbow; deep gashes had been cut through her rib cage. Her body was hemorrhaging onto the street.

"Beta, Emergency Medical Transport!" Jason shouted into his com, on his HUD display he selected the woman using the optical sensors. In a streak of white light the woman disappeared.

"Is she going to be okay?" one of the men asked.

"I don't know," Jason shook his head. "Right now we need to get you out of here. Beta five for transport, get them out of the combat zone."

"Compliance." Beta replied.

"Thank you," the other woman replied.

The group fell to their knees in total exhaustion as the teleportation sequence activated taking them from the bloodied street.

"Beta what is the status of the woman?"

"Please specify."

"The one I wanted transported for medical treatment, Janet." Jason replied, frustration in his tone.

"Subject died immediately after transport due to exsanguination. Subject will be transported to Angel Grove Memorial Hospital."

Jason punched the car next to him denting the body. He sat for a moment trying to reign in his emotions. He had to get moving, before he was too late to save some one else.

"Lokar, give me a status report," Zedd demanded coming onto the balcony.

Vexacus and Scorpina stood behind him solemnly looking out toward the Earth. Neither had been chosen to take part in the attack, but given the incredible danger to all ground forces, Vexacus was not in the least bit disappointed. Taking part in a suicidal mission was not what he was interested in doing. Scorpina however, did not feel the same. Millennia of imprisonment had left her restless. Leaving her out of the diversionary attack had left her feeling of little use, which she had covered over in anger. She wanted a chance to prove herself in battle. Goldar had been in Zedd's service only slightly longer than she had and he had been permitted to go, even with his Zord limited by its primitive power source. She tried to calm herself; there would be other planets, there would be another chance.

"Things go well my Lord," Lokar replied with a cruel smile. "Divatox's Piranhatron have left all of Angel Grove in chaos. We lost the Fury to one of the Ranger's new Zord attacks."

Zedd growled discontentedly.

"The good news is that with the sun eclipsed they will not be able to do so again. Goldar has found the Green Ranger and engaged him and his Dragon Zord. And the Dark Fortress, the Megalodon, and the Vengeance should arrive shortly to begin the final wave of the diversionary attack."

"Excellent," Zedd replied. "Soon we will be free of those accursed Rangers and all their interference."

Dragon Zord tried to step back as Cyclopsis brought both blades up cutting an X into the Zord's chest plate. Dragon Zord reeled forward head-butting Cyclopsis sending the War Zord staggering back. Dragon Zord lunged forward whipping its tail around striking Cyclopsis in the head sending it tumbling into a building. The walls and floor broke cradling the Zord as it landed in a heap of debris having torn away the first twelve floors at the front of the building. Dragon Zord quickly fired a barrage of missiles from its finger tips. Cyclopsis jumped up, but was unable to get clear before the shots impacted into the Zord's chest and the building columns. Parts of the chest were ripped apart as the armor piercing heads penetrated and exploded, destroying the internals. Simultaneously the building gave way under the weight of the upper structure as steel girders were torn apart from the inside. Cyclopsis braced as the upper thirty floors came crashing down onto the Zord.

Josh breathed a sigh of relief as the dust cloud consumed his Zord. The instruments were reading fourteen percent power remaining. If this fight had dragged on much longer he wasn't sure he would have been able to handle it.

Without warning a hand flew out of the dust cloud and clutched the Dragon Zord's head. Josh could hear the noise of grinding metal as the clawed hand tore and crushed the Zord's armor. For a split second Josh saw the chain going back into the cloud before his Zord was rapidly pulled into the debris. There was a quick flash as the blade from the other arm came forward piercing the neck of the Dragon Zord. With a quick twist and an outward jerk, Cyclopsis ripped through the right side of the neck sending servos, hydraulics, and armor into the street. A light blue liquid sprayed from the Dragon Zord. Inside Josh was reading cooling system failure, with temperature readings beginning to climb.

"Shut down all unnecessary systems! Reroute the cooling system!" Josh ordered.

The Zord responded sealing off the coolant leak and shut down the plasma cannon in the head along with long range sensors and other redundant systems.

Dragon Zord reached forward grabbing Cyclopsis' head in its taloned hand. Josh fired his missiles, but Cyclopsis slammed his foot into the Zord's chest sending the Zord flying back. The missiles impacted into the chest setting it ablaze.

While in flight, Dragon Zord brought its right arm up and fired a low level blast of plasma at the chain, heating part of it to a white glow. Dragon Zord plowed into the street, the chain breaking, though the hand still gripped the Zord's head. Josh brought Dragon Zord to its feet pulling Cyclopsis' hand from its frame and casting it aside.

Cyclopsis also rose; fire still blazing within the chest, flames jumped through the holes in its armored hide. The fire control system was clearly disabled. The chain retracted, disappearing into the Zord's right forearm.

Josh glanced at his power levels, eleven percent, this wasn't good.

"Get down!" Kimberly shouted firing a barrage of arrows into a group of advancing Piranhatrons.

Several people dropped to the ground as multiple streaks of pink flew overhead. Six Piranhatron fell. Ashley wasted no time in jumping over the crowd and intercepting the remaining three as Kimberly called for teleportation.

The people vanished in streaks of white as Ashley thrust her dagger into the first Piranhatron's chest throwing him up and over her. Moving forward she threw a roundhouse kick catching another in the head and sent it tumbling into the third. The two Piranhatron collapsed into a mess of swirling blades and shrapnel. Ashley turned back to see the first Piranhatron lying face up on the ground, the blades around its mouth still spinning as the damaged machine convulsed trying to stand. Ashley pulled her Blade Blaster and shot it in the head, with a sound like a garbage disposal the blades came to a stop.

"I'm not seeing anymore groupings of civilians out this way," Kimberly said.

"Beta, are there any more civilians in need of help?" Ashley asked.

"Negative, all civilians inside quarantine zone have been evacuated or killed."

Ashley looked at Kimberly. While her facial expressions weren't visible through the helmet Kimberly had a good idea what was on her mind. If there were only a way to have teleported everyone at once, but Billy said the interference was making it impossible to use the Command Center scanners to get a teleportation lock. After today though she was sure that Billy would have some automated system set up to do just that in the event of another huge attack like this.

"We should get back to help Josh," Kimberly said.

"Yeah," Ashley said with a sigh.

"Look," Kimberly began. "I know you're upset about the people we lost, but think about the ones we saved. Those groups we helped, they would have died if we hadn't been here."

"How do you deal with it all though?" Ashley asked looking around at the destroyed buildings, wreaked cars, the mutilated bodies that lay in the street.

"By focusing on the good I do, not the evil Zedd does."

Kimberly's HUD began to flash a warning.

"Look out!" Ashley screamed.

The two Rangers flipped out of the way as several missiles impacted where they had been standing sending cars and chunks of asphalt flying. Kimberly looked up to see a small squadron of Velocifighters soar overhead.

"Jason we have fighters," Kimberly relayed through her com.

"Get to your Zords." Jason replied.

Kimberly and Ashley extended their hands to the sky calling forth their Zords.

"It's no use Green Ranger," Goldar said mockingly. "You can't beat me."

"I think it's a little early to be so confident," Josh replied trying to sound more sure of himself than he was.

With a loud roar Cyclopsis charged forward again slashing at the Dragon Zord. This time Joshua was ready, evading his blows with a clumsy swagger. Dragon Zord slashed at Cyclopsis' chest plate with its own claws tearing away more armor which only helped fuel the fire that was burning. Something suddenly ruptured within Cyclopsis' chest and the Zord staggered back jettisoning the ammunition bin for the left missile battery. Joshua saw what was happening and leapt back. Landing a few blocks back Josh locked onto the ammo bin and opened fire with his own missiles and braced his Zord. With a clap like thunder the bin detonated lighting up the sky. Josh lost site of Cyclopsis as the fireball filled the street. Buildings were blown apart by the shock wave, metal shrapnel imbedded in the Dragon Zord. Inside it sounded like a hail storm as the debris beat against the armor shell. As the smoke cleared Josh saw the other ammo bin flying through the air toward him. He tried to activate the Dragon Zord's teleporter beacon.

"Insufficient power," the computer replied. It appeared that the Command Center's teleportation system had been heavily taxed.

Three streaks of energy tore through the air hitting the bin causing it to explode. The Dragon Zord was thrown through several buildings. Armor was torn from the hull by the blast and ripped from the body as it crashed through web after web of steel beams. Finally the Zord came to a stop in the middle of a plaza. Josh looked over his displays in a panic. Short range sensors were showing a Zord-class object closing on his position and the sky was filled with aircraft. Several displays where flashing indicating armor was missing from much of the right side, the right arm was nearly disabled, power was down to seven percent.

Dragon Zord lurched to its feet, gears grinding, hydraulics straining. Sparks flew as shredded power cables brushed against the hull. The right side of the Dragon Zord was missing huge sections of armor showing the skeletal structure and the Zord's internal mechanisms. As Dragon Zord returned to its feet one of the hydraulics in the right leg ruptured oozing an orange fluid down endoskeleton. Dragon Zord reached out using a building to stabilize itself as the other hydraulics and servos compensated. Most of the biomechanical muscle bundles were destroyed taking away nearly all the Zord's mobility.

Cyclopsis emerged from behind one of the buildings. Goldar's Zord was scarcely looking better than the Dragon Zord. The chest plate had been torn away along with most of the shoulder guards. The lower face plate was gone. Most of the armor around the blast area was charred black. The left foot had been torn off along with the shin armor plate. The Zord was hobbling forward on its stump. The wrist blades seemed to still be intact, though it was likely that the missile batteries were empty. A mix of unknown fluids flowed from the Zord's shattered hull. A dark green liquid was running down the right torso, below the missile battery.

Josh was considering his options, there was a good chance that a plasma burst to the chest would destroy Cyclopsis, but if he missed his Zord would certainly be out of power, though it was likely that Goldar would abandon Cyclopsis if Dragon Zord were abandoned at this point. Goldar only had the particle cannons in the head and those blades on his wrist. One hand was still intact and could be used like a grappling hook, though the Zord didn't appear stable enough to make effective use of it. There was always a chance though, that Goldar had a surprise in store. Josh didn't have much left, the claw missiles were still usable, as were the plasma cannons, but the right arm was damaged and couldn't be relied on for any degree of accuracy. Using the tail as a weapon was nearly useless as too much of the Zord's mobility had been compromised, and the head was barely attached. If Goldar's previous attack had been a few more feet toward center it would have destroyed the central control spine. He could wait for Goldar, but with his power now down to six percent and dropping Goldar could probably wait him out. If he was going to strike it had to be now.

In the skies above Angel Grove another battle was raging. F-15s had arrived to engage the hundreds of Velocifighters that now filled the sky. On the ground below soldiers worked their way into defensive positions preparing FIM-92 Stingers for mass use against the overwhelming air forces. Special commando units were already infiltrating the city's interior looking to mop up the remaining ground forces that had not reached the blockades. Cruise missiles roared over the cityscape slamming into the shields of the Dark Fortress and Megalodon. The Fury was sitting at a higher altitude, and having deployed its fighters, was less of a priority than the two larger craft hovering just above the skyline.

Below the Rangers were also engaged against the massive vessels though their power reserves were running dangerously low, having had time to recharge in the hangers had helped. The Zords were using hit and run tactics trying to use the city to help shield them against the constant fire coming from the warship and the Dark Fortress. In this instance Lokar's plans were helping them, though it did little to make up for the loss of power they were experiencing in this unnatural darkness. Billy was frustrated with the lack of incoming power, even cloud cover didn't block the entire solar spectrum, and at night there was always the light reflected off the moon, but whatever this was had cut off all the light and warmth from the sun, nothing was getting through.

Above, Kimberly was doing what she could to thin the number of Velocifighters unleashing a flurry of missiles, but her ammo was running low, and the Command Center's reserves were so low that she couldn't reload using the teleporter. To make matters worse she was down to twenty percent power.

"Jason, I'm not going to be able to stay in this fight too much longer," she said.

"Billy we need options," Jason said.

"I can't do anything about the lack of power, even the Command Center's grid is under a huge amount of strain. With the sun blocked we just have no way to get more power to the Zords."

"Then we need to make our attacks count," Jason said. "Which is the weakest?"

"The fighter carrier, but it's out of range." Billy replied. "However between the two other craft the warship seems to have a lower shield capacity than the Dark Fortress."

"Then everyone concentrate your fire on the warship." Jason said. "Do we have a weak point Billy?"

"The shields on the starboard side are showing energy fluctuations."

"Which side?" Adam asked.

"The right side," Billy replied.

"Alright Rangers, everyone get into position so we can hit the right side with everything we have." Jason said.

"We need to be careful though," Billy said. "With the Command Center's power low our Zord's won't be able to escape using the teleporters if we completely drain them."

"I understand," Jason said. "But we are running out of options."

The Zords began to move into position. Jason and Ashley continued to make hit and run strikes against the Megalodon drawing attention away from the Mastodon which moved much slower than the other Zords.

"Astronema," Ecliptor called.

"What is it?" she replied turning from the main screen.

"The Rangers appear to be moving to attack the Megalodon."

"Excellent," Astronema said. "Make sure you disrupt the Megalodon's sensors, I don't want her to see them coming."

"As you wish, Empress."

Astronema turned back to the screen, her armor hiding the grin that had spread across her face. This was even better than Lord Zedd's idea, this way she might even get to see Divatox's demise.

Dragon Zord lurched forward firing a volley of missiles from the left talon. Cyclopsis, unable to move fast enough, raised its right arm taking the hits. The missiles dug in and detonated, splintering the arm up to the elbow. The wrist blade was thrown free and stuck into the side of one of the buildings. As Josh closed in Cyclopsis lowered its stance drawing back its remaining blade. Josh took a deep breath. This fight was going to come down to whether the right arm responded quickly enough. Four percent power left. Josh reached in with the left talon as the blade raced at the Zord's head, directly toward the cockpit. Josh tried to activate the right arm to block. The arm moved slamming into Cyclopsis' arm, but only shifting the point of attack slightly. Josh fired with both missile salvos and launched plasma from the wrist launchers.

"I'm in position," Adam reported.

"Alright, everyone open fire!" Jason ordered.

Adam fired his zero-point cannon along with the few laser batteries he had available. The zero-point energy disrupted the shields, which sparked with a faint blue light as the starboard shield failed. In that moment missiles, laser fire, projected particles, and sonic blasts tore into the side of the warship causing it to erupt in violent explosion. Secondary explosions burst forth as one of the engine core exploded.

"Power core damaged, starboard engine off-line, rift drive showing signs of instability." Porto said, the ship still shaking from the blast.

"What happened?" Divatox shouted over the noise of the alarm.

"We had a temporary failure of the starboard shields Captain," Rygog replied.

"I thought we repaired that," Divatox said turning to Elgar.

"It wasn't my fault," Elgar said. "The parts must have been defective."

"Fire on deck six," Porto relayed.

"Shield's back up," Rygog said.

"If we get out of this alive I'm going to kill you!" Divatox said glaring at Elgar. "Now get our engines back online!"

"Yes Ma'am," Elgar said quickly exiting the bridge.

"Astronema," Zedd called.

"Yes my Lord,"

"Pull your forces back, Serpentera is nearly in position and is ready to fire."

"Excellent,"

Suddenly the Dark Fortress began to rise quickly along with the carrier. Velocifighters disengaged from their targets and began falling back to their transports.

"Look!" Kimberly shouted.

"What is it?" Ashley said.

"They're starting to pull out," Billy replied.

"Something's not right," Jason said.

"Beta, status?" Billy said.

"Attack force is in retreat, new threat detected."

"What threat?" Adam asked.

"Serpentera detected orbiting at seven hundred kilometers."

"Josh?" Jason called. The was nothing but silence on the com.

"Josh are you there?" Kimberly repeated. Again there was nothing but silence.

"Beta locate Dragon Zord." Billy said.

"I'm here," Josh replied. "What is going on?"

"Where are you?" Kimberly asked.

"Downtown plaza," Josh replied. "I think Cyclopsis is down for the count."

Dragon Zord stood over the hull of Cyclopsis. The left arm of the War Zord was missing below the shoulder. The blade was embedded in Dragon Zord's head just above the cockpit. A smoldering crater existed where the Zord's chest had been. Dragon Zord's left hand was nothing more than a smoking mess of shredded metal. Josh looked up at the instrument panel, the remaining energy was holding stable at one percent.

"We don't have time for this," Jason said. "Serpentera is coming toward Earth."

"Where is Serpentera right now?" Josh asked.

"Serpentera is holding at seven hundred kilometers, power surge detected." Beta replied.

"Beta teleport Dragon Zord to Serpentera!" Josh shouted.

"Unable, power levels not stable." Beta replied.

"Josh what's wrong?" Billy asked.

"Beta emergency override!" Josh ordered ignoring the question.

"Compliance." Beta responded.

In a flash of green light Dragon Zord dematerialized. Goldar watched from the cockpit, teeth barred growling with discontent. Green Ranger had beaten him again, but there was nothing more he could do. In a blaze of fire Cyclopsis vanished.

"Josh what are you doing?!" Kimberly shouted.

The com line was silent.

Dragon Zord materialized inside Serpentera's mouth. The structure was immense, a true marvel of Zord technology. Josh could see the array at the back of the mouth unfurling as energy arced over the surface.

"Dragon Zord, disengage safeties, set generator to overload." Josh said.

"Acknowledged, generator on overload, estimated fifty-eight seconds to detonation." The computer voice responded.

That wasn't going to be soon enough. Josh could see the array was almost fully deployed, it would be ready to fire within seconds.

"Reactivate primary plasma cannon," Josh said.

"Acknowledged, primary plasma cannon online."

Dragon Zord kicked off the base of the mouth slowly drifting toward the array, flipping as it went. Josh gripped the controls tightly focusing his powers. Energy began to flow from his hands and into the console, the power levels rising to two percent. Josh took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could feel the power growing in Dragon Zord, he could sense the position of the array and the terrible power building behind it. Four percent.

Zedd stood on his balcony to watch the last moments of Earth. Serpentera was nearing full power. Lightning coruscated over the neck of the malevolent machine. The mouth began to glow with a bright light.

"Get us out of here!" Divatox yelled.

"Rift drive still down," Porto reported.

"Goodbye," Astronema said with a smirk from the Dark Fortress as it passed by Serpentera.

"Josh come in! Respond!" Jason shouted through the com.

Josh looked out through his screen. The Earth rotated into view as Dragon Zord continued to flip toward the array. The planet looked so peaceful, like a wondrous sphere of blue hanging in space; a single jewel in the heavens. He continued to rotate, Earth passed from his sight bringing the fiery glow of the array into view, growing brighter by the second. Ten percent. He locked onto the array with all three of his plasma cannons. All he could see was bright light. He pulled in on the trigger. Images flashed before his eyes in an instant, he saw his family, his first tournament, the day Zedd took everything from him, and Kimberly's face. With a radiant explosion like a supernova Serpentera's head exploded.

"NO!" Zedd shouted from his balcony as he watched the explosion trail through Serpentera's body until the entire Zord exploded in a giant fireball hurling a large, burning, radiating mass toward the planet.

On the ground below, darkness gave way to light as the sky was lit from a single point above Angel Grove. The sky was bright as midday even though the sun was still enshrouded.

"JOSH!" Kimberly shouted tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Beta locate Joshua," Billy said.

"Unable to locate." Beta responded.

"Oh my god," Adam said in total disbelief.

"He can't be gone," Jason said.

"We might just be getting more interference," Billy suggested.

"Incoming object," Beta warned.

"Identify," Billy replied.

"Unknown mass, high energy signature."

"Point of impact?" Billy inquired.

"Two point three meters north of current position."

"Move Rangers!" Jason shouted.

The Zords began a sudden stampede from the downtown area. Kimberly soared out over the buildings. On lookers could see a giant fireball forming in the sky. Military forces began to leave their positions, fleeing for their lives. The com system was filled with panicked commands to fallback. The squads within the city ran for cover seeking shelter in the subways. Some pulled up manhole covers and dropped into the sewers as the fireball grew larger in the sky.

"Elgar, we need the rift drive now!" Divatox shouted over the intercom.

"I almost have it Ma'am,"

The clouds above the city were swept away as a hot blast of air radiated outward. Winds began to increase dramatically. Then with the force of several atomic bombs the object slammed into the Earth. There was a violent explosion as the Earth heaved with the impact. A blast several miles high radiated out in all directions leveling buildings and sending debris flying into the air like a volcano.

Kimberly felt the instability in her flight as the blast went out. The other Zords being further behind were flung away from the city by the force of the blast. Moments later Pterodactyl was cast from the sky as the violent force tore one of the wings off and sent it spinning out of control…

Kimberly awoke to warning alarms ringing loudly. She opened her eyes slowly letting her vision clear. She could see her visor was cracked, a piece of steel had pierced the hull and was projecting through her main screen only inches from her face. She slowly tried to move her legs and arms. Nothing seemed to be broken. She reached up and removed her helmet. The Zord was lit only by the emergency lighting. She fumbled around for the controls for the main hatch. The door slid open letting in bright light from outside. Carefully she climbed out of her chair avoiding the steel beam. Jumping down from the hatch she could see that it was day, the question was, what day? Landing, she demorphed. Her Pterodactyl was a mess. One of the wings was gone the other was dug into the ground. Half of the Zord was buried. Debris riddled the hull.

She looked around trying to get her bearings, but nothing looked familiar. The landscape was barren except for some chunks of rubble, some of which was still burning.

"Kimberly!" Billy shouted.

Kimberly turned to see Billy, Adam, and Ashley coming down a hill to her. They were also not wearing their Ranger armor. She ran to meet them.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked. "Where are Jason and Josh?"

Billy and Adam looked at one another gravely.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked. "Are they hurt, or…"

Ashley looked at the ground, Kimberly could see the tears on her face.

"What's going on," Kimberly asked.

"It's Angel Grove," Billy said.

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked. "Was more than the downtown area damaged?"

"It's gone Kimberly," Billy said choking back tears. "Angel Grove, Stone Canyon, it's all gone."

Kimberly turned to look again at the desolate landscape her mind grasping the truth. The reason it looked unfamiliar, there had once been a huge city where now there was nothing. Kimberly started to run toward the city. Billy grabbed hold of her arm.

"There's nothing left," he said.

Kimberly collapsed on the ground burying her face in her hands sobbing uncontrollably. Everything was gone, her family, her friends. She could feel the pain in her chest as she curled over herself.

"Guys," a voice called.

Billy turned to see Jason walking out of an area of rubble and burnt out trees. His helmet was removed, but he still wore his armor. A tear ran down the side of his face.

"What happened," Jason asked in shock from all the destruction.

"I think Josh just saved the planet," Adam said solemnly fighting back his own tears…

They had never found a body, but that was to be expected. They hadn't found anything at ground zero. Billy had managed to patch together enough sensor data to discover that the fireball was most likely the wreckage of Dragon Zord that had been superheated by a partial discharge from Serpentera's weapon array. Essentially, it had become an extremely high energy plasma ball. All Beta's scans since then had turned up nothing and Zedd had been strangely quiet since that day. Relief workers had been sent in and were still cleaning up some of the outskirts and residential areas looking for survivors, but so far they hadn't found any. The Rangers had returned to their homes, but had found nothing but charred wood and rubble.

Kimberly tried to pull herself together as the four Rangers set the coffin down at the front of the amphitheater. Jason was following behind them. The coffin was a basic black, over it was draped a large green flag with the Dragon Emblem in gold near the head. Inside were two medals presented to Joshua, the Purple Heart, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. The four Rangers stepped back standing behind the coffin as Jason stepped forward.

"We are here today to honor a hero," Jason began. "The Green Ranger, Joshua Christopher Raine. He gave his life to keep this world and all who live in it from being destroyed. His sacrifice was made without hesitation and with no thought given to his own safety."

Kimberly leaned on Ashley's shoulder and began crying. Ashley placed an arm around her to comfort her. Billy and Adam stood listening quietly, though they could not hide the tears that streaked their faces.

"We are standing here today to honor his life, and his willingness to give his life for the good of all mankind. We can only stand here today ready to fight for our freedom because of his sacrifice. And we will carry on, though we have lost a great ally and a good friend."

"Joshua fought many battles in the last year since he came to us and he has been many places that no human has ever even known. He has faced many challenges and was hated by society because of his time in slavery to Zedd. Yet even with so many against him and people who despised him, he still worked to do good, not because of a need to redeem himself, but from a genuine concern for people and the lives of others. I only knew Joshua a short time, but from him I learned the importance of courage and perseverance no matter the odds against you. Josh was not an individual to let anything stand in his way. Nothing could stop him from achieving his goal."

Jason continued to speak, even telling stories that he had heard from some of the other Rangers. When he was finished the Rangers, along with a military procession marched to the grave site that had been provided for burial. As the coffin was lowered down the song Amazing Grace was being played and soldiers offered a three volley salute to the Green Ranger.

After everyone had gone and the casket buried, Kimberly stood quietly by his grave gazing at the plaque. It had been custom made by Billy, a deep green marble engraved and lined with gold. Two pictures had been placed within the sealed frames, one of Josh with his family and another as the Green Ranger taken from the Command Center's databank.

Ashley came up behind Kimberly and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"You should get out of the rain," Ashley said brushing her soaked hair aside. "You're going to get sick."

"I just can't believe he's gone," she said shaking her head. "I just keep thinking there had to be some other way,"

"He knew what he was doing," Ashley said.

"What about the Shaolin Temple?" she asked.

"Jason and Billy left to go look for it, but I haven't heard anything yet. We should get back to the Command Center."

"I'll be ready in a minute," Kimberly said.

"Okay," Ashley replied teleporting out.

"They are ready my Lord," Astronema said walking into the throne room.

"Excellent," Zedd replied, his eyes ablaze with a cruel fury. "I want them sent down to Earth at once to find the Command Center and destroy the Rangers."

"There is one small problem though my Lord."

"And what is that?" Zedd asked.

"The sixth one had to be put into containment, it seems that without the Green Ranger he is far too unstable to function and is completely uncontrollable."

"Then send the others, and release my Tengas to feast on the flesh of their dead. I want the Rangers to all suffer greatly for what they have done."

"Yes my Lord," she replied leaving the room. Zedd must know where the Command Center is, but then what fun would her new creations have if the Rangers were just handed to them? If Zedd wanted them to suffer, then she would make certain that her minions took their time in playing with their prey.

Zedd sat back in his throne contemplating the events that had unfolded. The destruction of Serpentera had been a huge setback for Zedd's plans. It would take more than a year to construct a new Zord with such power and he had no intention of letting this world have another year to prepare. While his forces massed he would make sure that no rest was given to these pathetic humans, that they had no time to build a defense against him. The only good thing that had come from his last attack was the death of the Green Ranger and deaths of the Ranger's families. Now he was devising bigger plans to terrorize the population of Earth, but even more so, the Rangers. By the time he was done they would be begging to die.

"General Hamren?" his secretary said coming in the door.

"Yes, what is it?" The General replied.

"One of the field teams has something from Angel Grove he thinks you might be interested in."

"Send him in," Hamren replied.

The secretary left the room and brought a soldier in carrying a metal case which was cuffed to his wrist. He set it on the desk and began dialing in the combination to open it.

"We recovered this from ground zero in Angel Grove General and thought you should see it." He said opening the case revealing a blackened box like object resting in the custom foam padding. The object had small areas where gold still shown through the blackened surface. The middle appeared to be indented slightly in a circle with two jagged lines going outward from the center like lightning or teeth.

"What is it?" General Hamren asked.

"It's what gives the Rangers their power General; I believe they call it a morpher."


	7. Chapter 7

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-7-

"What is going on?" one of the technicians asked, his cat like ears twitching nervously as the Time Shadow entered the gateway breaking free of the bonds of time.

"I'm not sure," Trip replied. "Circuit, can you pull up the information?"

The mechanical owl sat motionless on the forward console for a moment. The eyes faded to a deep red and began to slowly shift in hue until they became green. With a ruffling of metallic feathers the eyes shifted back to their normal shade of yellow.

"It appears that there was damage done to the fabric of space time caused by the vast number of time holes opened in the fight between the Doomtron and Q-Rex." Circuit replied his voice was like that of a wise sage. "In effect, so many holes were created that it weakened the barrier between our own dimension and several others. While the data is incomplete it appears something from another dimension escaped into ours and manifest sometime in the later part of the twentieth century."

"What escaped?" Trip asked.

"Unknown, data is incomplete. Whatever it was altered the timeline so drastically that all history after that point throughout our dimension has changed."

"So what are we suppose to do about it?" another technician asked, a short man with a light tan. "Tiberus, Vleks, and I aren't Time Force Rangers, we're just technicians."

"I know Sean," Trip began, "But if we don't find a way to fix this we won't have a future to go home to. You may not be Rangers, but you have a lot of knowledge when it comes to Quantum Mechanics and Temporal Theory, those are the skills we're going to need to fix this."

"But what if we need to fight?" Vleks asked. He was larger in stature, humanoid in form, but with only four fingers on each hand, two of which were thumbs positioned on opposite sides. He had two mandibles that were held closely to his face. His eyes were set further back into his head and spaced further apart. Another set of eyes, closer together stared from his forehead their black glass like surface was very different from his lower eyes which shone a pale green with a slit pupil. His skin was a strong, yet flexible series of gray scales in varying shades.

"Alex considered that," Circuit responded. "The Time Shadow is headed for Angel Grove in the mid nineteen nineties. There is a team of Power Rangers in that era, though how the time shift has affected them is unknown. Alex hoped that their leader Zordon would be of assistance to us."

"Who's Zordon?" Tiberus asked.

"Zordon of Eltar," Circuit began. "One of the members of the Eltarian Race, which left known space in the early twenty-sixth century, he was the first recorded individual to use the technology of the Morphing Grid to form a fighting force to defend Earth, though records indicate that the Morphing Grid may have been used by a group of individuals on Earth prior to this."

"So the plan is to hope we find this Zordon and see if he can help us fix this?" Sean asked.

"Do you have a better idea?" Vleks asked.

Sean folded his arms across his chest and lowered his head.

"So who are these Rangers of Zordon's?" Tiberus asked.

Images began to flash on the main screen as Circuit narrated. "Jason Scott, Red Dragon Thunder Ranger, Zack Taylor, Black Lion Thunder Ranger, Trini Kwan, Yellow Griffin Thunder Ranger, Billy Cranston, Blue Unicorn Thunder Ranger, Kimberly Hart, Pink Firebird Thunder Ranger, and Tommy Oliver, White Tiger Thunder Ranger, their leader."

"They're just kids!" Sean protested.

"They're the only chance we have." Trip retorted.

"Prepare to reenter the time stream," Circuit warned as the console's flight controls sprung to life.

Jason and Adam rematerialized in the Command Center.

"Did you find anything?" Billy asked quietly.

"No," Jason replied with a sigh. "No temple, nothing, it's like it never existed."

"We looked all over that forest," Adam said.

Billy held his finger over his mouth indicating he wanted them to speak quieter. He pointed over toward the holo-display where Kimberly was curled up in one of the chairs sleeping.

"She's hardly gotten any sleep since the attack," Billy said. "I don't want to wake her."

"Right." Jason replied. "Did you find anything from the scans?"

"It's not looking good," Billy replied. "We had a lot of interference during the battle and then the discharge of Serpentera's main weapon as well. It's making it impossible to track the Green Ranger's power signature after the explosion."

"We need to find that coin Billy," Jason said.

"I know," Billy said clasping his hands over his face running them up through his hair. "There's just so much interference and it's just wearing me out. I don't think we can find it this way."  
"Why don't you take a break, get some rest and come back to it later." Jason said.

"I'll try," Billy replied turning off the main console at his work station and leaning back in the chair.

"Where's Ashley?" Adam asked.

"She's out assisting the National Guard with clean up and search and rescue." Billy replied. "She said she needed to be doing something, personally I still can't handle seeing the city."

"I probably should be out there helping too," Jason said. "Right now I think it's important that we at least show a strong front. If we don't, it could hurt the morale of the world."

"I agree," Adam said solemnly.

"I just can't right now," Billy said rubbing his eyes and adjusting his contact lenses.

"It's okay," Jason replied. "You have enough to do already. And I hate to place a little more on you, but I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Those new weapons you're working on,"

"You want them built immediately," Billy said finishing his sentence.

"We need all the extra firepower we can get right now."

"I'll get the Command Center's work bay started on the manufacturing right away." He replied hitting a few buttons on the console. "I'll have to put the Dragon Zord construction on hold though."

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked.

"We need the Dragon Zord," Billy said. "Even if we don't have the Dragon Coin we still have several Zord configurations that need it."

"What good is it without the extra power though?" Jason asked.

"It won't be perfect," Billy replied. "But I was able to use some of the technology from Titanus to design something that will at least reduce our dependence on solar energy. Now that Zedd is on to our weakness I'm sure he'll exploit it in future battles. And in the event that we can locate the coin we can still interface it with the Zord to restore it to full power."

"Alright," Jason said. "But I want those weapons first,"

"No problem," Billy said leaning forward and turning his work station back on.

"You can still take your break," Jason said.

"This is a break," Billy said with a smile.

Jason grinned and turned to Adam. "Let's go,"

Adam nodded. The two pulled out their morphers and teleported out.

"What makes you think we can trust this one anymore than Zedd?" Olympius asked pacing nervously around the throne room of Skull Cavern's fortress.

"For once I agree with the whelp," Loki growled. "He doesn't seem the trustworthy type."

"No, he certainly doesn't." Diabolico said staring off into the distance. "But he doesn't have the power Zedd possesses, which means if he were to betray us we stand a good chance of killing him."

"Still it seems odd that he would come to us, does it not?" Vypra said.

"He seems to be gathering those betrayed by Zedd," Diabolico replied. "Perhaps he feels the common desire for vengeance is sufficient to hold the loyalties of his little army."

"If that is true, then perchance we may find some willing to join with us should it come to that?" Vypra suggested.

"That may be," Diabolico replied. "But we should not rely on such fortune; it has not been on our side as of late."

"Then maybe we should take our fortune into our own hands," Olympius snapped.

"Did you learn nothing from your defeat?" Diabolico said turning to face him. "A direct attack is not the way to go about things. We need a more subtle tactic."

"You have something in mind brother?" Loki asked folding his arms across his massive chest.

"I might have someone who could give us the edge we need against our enemies." Diabolico said with a cruel grin. "But first we must divine the nature of these Power Rangers and from what source their power comes."

"Then let's get started already," Olympius replied impatiently.

"Watch your tongue whelp," Loki said baring his teeth. "Do not forget your place."

"What do you require of us?" Vypra asked.

"We need to make a few acquisitions," Diabolico said.

"Acquire what?" Olympius asked.

Diabolico did not reply. A dark smile spread across his face.

"Lokar!" Zedd bellowed walking into the main hall.

"Yes my Lord?" Lokar replied.

"Have you repaired Hephaestus yet?"

"I'm afraid the titan form given to him by the Machine Empire is beyond repair. I have begun work on a more resilient vessel to house him, but it is taking time."

"I need him now Lokar, my plans can not be delayed."

"I could give him some kind of form, but he will lack the stature of his former frame. Though there is the small matter of the deterioration of his mind."

"That does not concern me." Zedd snapped. "Do it."

"With all haste my Lord," Lokar replied bowing his head. "Is there more?"

"How soon until Cyclopsis is functional again?"

"That is dependant on when the workers of Phaelon finish the construction of the Arcanum Generator."

"I want it in two days Lokar, no more."

"My Lord, it may not be possible,"

"Know this," Zedd said, his eyes blazing with an intense fire which caused even Lokar's dark soul to shutter. "Either find a way to motivate them to work faster or you will know pain such as you have never known in your fifty millennia of existence."

"Yes, of course my Lord," Lokar replied, his voice shaking slightly.

Zedd turned away and stormed out of the great hall. Lokar fell to his knees gathering his thoughts. He knew his Lord was angered by the loss of Serpentera, but surely he foresaw the destruction of his War Zord and considered it to be an acceptable loss to end the Green Ranger. It was inconceivable that this had caught him off guard, wasn't it?

Jason pulled away a large slab of concrete unearthing what seemed to be the remains of the sewer system. He dropped down into the small open area looking around slowly, switching between several visual modes. Rain poured into the tunnel, drops of water already clinging to Jason's armor.

"Is anyone here?" he called out.

"Find anything?" Ashley asked coming to the edge of the hole.

"Doesn't look like it," Jason replied jumping back out.

"Where are we anyway?" Adam asked looking around at the leveled buildings.

While they were some distance from the crater that marked ground zero, and the location of what was downtown Angel Grove, the destruction was still overwhelming. Many structures had even sunk into the ground as the resulting explosion had collapsed miles of subway tunnels and sewers. Everything within forty miles of ground zero had been destroyed, and beyond that the damage was still immense. The blast had been felt all the way up the coastline and even as far north as Sacramento.

"Somewhere in the suburbs between Angel Grove and Stone Canyon," Ashley replied.

Adam turned and stared into the north, his eyes scanning the now desolate landscape which faded out into fog. His house once stood where this endless stretch of rubble now lay. Adam shook the thought from his mind. He needed to keep busy, there could still be some survivors, trapped somewhere in all this debris. Some had been found in the more northern areas of Stone Canyon, though nothing around his old neighborhood. Those who had been in Angel Grove had been hit the hardest. According to the seismic scans Beta had run no one in the Angel Grove area had survived, and the shockwave had collapsed all the pockets that had existed within the terrain leaving hundreds of thousands buried alive under the rubble of their city.

"What is with this weather?" Adam said finding annoyance with the rain and fog.

"Something to do with the explosion," Jason replied looking around. "It caused a huge shift in the climate. Billy said it should get back to normal in a few weeks."

"You okay?" Ashley asked.

"Not really," Adam said with a forced laugh. "I'm still trying to deal with all this. I'm angry, or sad, or something else, I just don't know what I'm feeling anymore, maybe I'm feeling all these things at once."

"Hey, we'll get through this together," Jason said forcing a smile.

"Did you hear that?" Ashley said.

"What?" Jason asked perking up.

"Quiet, listen," she said hastily.

Adam and Jason listened. For a moment they could hear nothing; then ever so slightly they began to hear a sound carried on the wind, a melody, almost as if someone were singing. Jason looked around trying to get a fix on it with the audio sensors, but it seemed to be coming from every direction, though the high raspy voice was clearly singular. The words that came forth were unknown to the Rangers and even the Armor's systems could not translate it.

"What is that?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Jason replied. "But I don't like the sound of it."

"What's wrong Rangers?" the voice came from behind them.

The three of them turned to see a white goblin like creature squatted down upon a large chunk of concrete, his left hand resting on the ground in front of him. Most of his body had been replaced or covered over in a white skeletal armor. One black eye stared at them, while another cybernetic eye glared with a deep blue light. On his back was some kind of pack which held two dome shaped pods out to the sides at about shoulder level.

"Didn't you like my dirge?" he said cocking his head to the right, the optics of his left eye rotated maintaining focus. "I wrote it for you,"

"Who are you?" Ashley asked.

"You don't remember me?" the creature growled cocking his head to the left.

"You!" Adam exclaimed with sudden recognition.

Jason and Ashley turned toward him perplexed.

"He was that thing, Hafester, or whatever that thing was that was producing all the Putties."

"My name is Hephaestus," he snarled leaning his head forward.

"I thought the Green Ranger killed you," Jason said.

"Nope," he replied flipping over and doing a handstand while keeping an eye on the Rangers.

The Rangers stood watching him for a moment not sure what to make of this bizarre imp that was before them. Hephaestus returned to his feet and sat down on the rock leaning forward, staring intently at the Rangers.

"So what do you want?" Ashley finally asked.

"Oh I'm here to make you suffer," he responded with a gleeful smile.

"Really?" Jason said, his body already tensing.

"Yes," the creature replied with a laugh. "I'm going to make you suffer terribly."

The Rangers moved closer, coming together in a tight formation. Hephaestus leapt suddenly to his feet. The Rangers twitched ready to strike, but the imp stayed on his rock.

"I was really hoping you'd be more talkative," he said kicking at the dust and chipping the concrete with his clawed toe. "Being a machine of war is so lonely." He began to pace back and forth on the rock; then as if an idea had just struck him he looked up and snapped with clawed fingers. "What I need are some friends!"

Jason quickly pulled his blade blaster and fired. The shot raced straight toward the creature's forehead; as it came within inches of Hephaestus a field of green energy appeared around him dispersing the energy from the shot.

"That was very rude," the creature said looking very stern. "I don't think I much like you anymore." He raised his hands to the sky. The pods on his pack began to glow with an eerie green light. "Now die!" he said in a deep gravely voice. Energy burst forth from the pods on his back radiating out in all directions.

The Rangers took cover, diving behind some of the debris.

"What are you doing?" Hephaestus asked as his energy dispersed. "You look quiet mad throwing yourselves around like that. Do you suffer from paranoia?"

The Rangers slowly returned to their feet manifesting their weapons, but keeping them low. Hephaestus looked around the landscape, a wide smile on his face. He cheerfully clapped his hands together as if very pleased with something. Suddenly the ground to the left of the Rangers shifted. A rock was pushed out of the way as a hand reached up from the dirt and grasped the surface as if it were pulling on it. Then another disturbance, a steel beam was pushed away as a pair of arms came up from the ground, followed by a smashed and disfigured head. Dirt mixed with blood clung to the face in clumps. Green mist poured from the lipless mouth like a breath in the cold. The eyes opened glowing with a sickly, pale green light. More of the corpses began to rise surrounding the Rangers.

"It's like an early Christmas isn't it?" Hephaestus said grinning wickedly.

"What are those things?" Ashley asked, her voice shaking.

"They're my Legion of the Undead!" Hephaestus replied, his voice growing dark and serious for a moment as his hands rose to the sky, his gaze directed upward. "And they're going to eat your brains," he said in his normal raspy high voice.

The Rangers recoiled as the corpses began to lurch forward. The Rangers tightened their formation looking around in horror as the zombies drew slowly closer. More seemed to be rising from the ground.

"That's enough theatrics," Hephaestus said raising his hands into the air like a puppeteer. The undead halted. "Time for some excitement!"

As the goblin's hands came down the zombies raced forward with a speed unnatural even to the Rangers, arms out stretched, jaws wide. Jason swung his sword splitting the first corpse in half. A thick dark syrup oozed from the torso as the two halves flew to the ground. The next three in line plowed into Jason slamming him into Adam and Ashley who also were thrust back as the zombies crashed into them. The trio collapsed on the ground. Ashley screamed as her repeated dagger thrusts into the torso yielded no results.

Adam felt one of the zombies bite into his arm. The teeth did little to pierce the armor's solid form, but the creature was exerting enormous pressure, threatening to crush his arm. Adam pulled his leg back and pressed it against the corpse's chest and kicked. The body broke at the neck sending the torso and limbs flying away, but the head remained clamped to his arm.

Gun fire rang out cutting down several of the zombies and causing a momentary pause in the attack. The Rangers took advantage of the moment to kick their assailants back and get to their feet. As they rose they saw several members of the National Guard firing from well defended areas among the rubble.

"No, no, no!" Hephaestus cried like a spoiled child. "Tengas!"

In a sudden windstorm over two dozen winged warriors descended on the soldiers, claws rending flesh and beaks piercing through torsos like tissue paper.

"No!" Jason shouted trying to reach the soldiers, but found his way blocked by the hundreds of undead that still surrounded them.

His shouting drew the attention of the Tengas who turned to look from their kills, their beady red eyes piercing, their heads cocked as if trying to make sense of what the Rangers were. Hephaestus kept his corpses in place for the moment, entangling the Rangers limbs, keeping them held fast as the Tengas began to feed on their prey.

Jason struggled against the power of the corpses, but found their strength greater than his own power. Looking around at the limbs that bound him Jason swung his sword slicing through the arms of the corpse clinging to his right leg and then stomped on the head of the other that was wrapped around his left crushing its skull sending a spray of decaying cerebral sludge across the ground. He leapt quickly slashing his sword in an arc, removing limbs from the zombies that reached to stop him. He landed outside the swarm of undead and began to race toward the Tengas, sword raised.

Ashley and Adam were spurred on by his actions and began to fight furiously against their captors rending limbs and knocking bodies down. Hephaestus drew his hands up again causing the zombies to fight back.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice came from Jason's right as he was abruptly blindsided and sent tumbling to the ground.

Jason rolled across the rubble returning to his feet to find himself faced with another warrior clad in shark-like armor and a dark robe.

"What are you doing here?" Hephaestus snarled.

"Lord Zedd ordered me to come," Vexacus replied. He glanced toward where the Tengas were feasting on the dead soldiers. "They're already dead, I don't know what you're so worked up about." He said with a sneer.

"Monster!" Jason shouted in a rage charging in with his sword.

Vexacus drew his blade and brought it down just in time to block Jason's attack, his blade locked against the serrated edge of Vexacus' weapon. Jason pulled back and swung again, but Vexacus parried his sword and in a swift upward stroke disarmed him sending the Power Sword clattering into the debris. The Tengas looked up for a moment at the sound. Vexacus brought his weapon above his head, the blade pointing toward Jason like a scorpion's stinger. Jason fell into a fighting stance.

Adam, distracted for a moment by Jason's plight, was hit from the side as one of the corpses tackled him. Ashley swung her arms outward in twin arcs clearing a small amount of space around her. She attempted to leap from the circle, but was caught in midair and pulled back down to the ground. She and Adam both struggled to get free, but it seemed Hephaestus was better prepared for them this time.

"Kill him," Hephaestus said smiling. "Then he can join my friends."

Vexacus stepped forward bringing his sword around in a wild swing. Jason leaned back ducking under the attack before springing forward to strike Vexacus in the chest with a double palm strike. Vexacus staggered back as the force of Jason's attack was like being hit by a truck.

"Not bad boy," Vexacus said, his tone mocking. "But you severely underestimate me."

Vexacus reached forward sending a burst of energy at Jason, Jason dove to the side, but was still hit in his left arm as he fell to the ground. A patch of his armor burned away leaving a bloodied scorch mark on the skin underneath. Jason clutched his arm as the Tengas swarmed around him picking at his armor with their clawed hands. Jason tried to swat them away, but the creatures pinned his arms and legs down.

"Kill him!" Hephaestus cried dancing with elation.

Vexacus laughed. "It's not time," He kicked Jason in the side. His body twitched as he felt a rib crack. One of the Tengas pecked at his visor causing it to crack slightly. "I can't believe these pathetic humans actually destroyed Serpentera. I think Green Ranger was the only real threat. Let's go,"

In a torrent Vexacus and the Tengas disappeared into thin air. Hephaestus groaned with disappointment and vanished into a green mist. The corpses fell to the ground, once again lifeless. Ashley and Adam rose to their feet pushing the bodies aside.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked looking at Jason who was still lying on the ground.

"No, I'm not," Jason said, not even bothering to return to his feet.

General Hamren watched from outside the clean room as several technicians worked on the morpher. They had carefully cut away the face plate and were amazed to find that the internal components were still intact. The device didn't seem to work when they had run tests on it earlier, though Hamren was convinced they simply did not know how to activate it.

"So how does it look?" Hamren asked pushing a button activating the intercom.

"Well," the lead tech began. "The internals look to be fine, but the components are alien. I've never seen anything like this before. It's some type of crystalline metallurgy."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hamren asked.

"What he's saying sir," one of the other techs began. "Is that this thing wasn't built, it was grown."

"So can we duplicate it or not?" the General asked impatiently.

The two technicians exchanged a concerned glance.

"Well?"

"We're not sure," the lead tech replied. "By nature crystals grow when they have the right elements present in a liquid solution, right now we're not sure what those elements are."

Hamren was about to respond, but the other tech began to speak.

"We will find out what they are General, we just need time."

"Time is something we have very little of gentlemen," Hamren replied walking away from the window.

"I don't understand it," Billy said looking over the data on the screen. "The overall strength of your morphed state has been reduced, but nothing appears to be wrong with the morpher."

Jason sat up as the hovering bar finished its scan and receded into the wall above his head. His face guard was still cracked and there were deep gouges into the side of the armor where Vexacus had kicked him, but the armor was still intact. His body demorphed in a blaze of red light and crackling particles.

"So what is causing the power loss then?" Jason said.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "There doesn't seem to be a reason."

"Josh would've known," Jason said with a sigh.

"How have you been feeling, emotionally I mean?" Billy asked.

"About the same as everyone else since the attack, why?"

"Well this is just a theory, but since the morphers use an artificial spirit to constitute our morphed forms it is possible that the depressed state that we are all currently in is affecting the morphers and, by association, our powers in some way."

"So you're suggesting because we've lost the will to fight that our morphers aren't working right?"

"It's a theory," Billy said. "But with my limited understanding of the technology used to make them I can't say for certain and unfortunately the files I would need from the computer are among those that are encrypted."

"Is there anyway to check this theory of yours?"

"I suppose I could run scans on everyone in their morphed state to determine if this holds true for all of us."

"Okay," Jason said rubbing his eyes. "But for the time being don't mention this theory to anyone else, if they have this to deal with on top of everything else we've been through…"

"I'll be discreet," Billy replied with a forced smile.

Jason nodded and walked out of the room. Billy took hold of his morpher, as the door closed behind Jason he activated the device, the vortex of energy washing over him as armor plates collided with his body creating his altered form. As the gold emblem formed on his chest he sat down on the table and shifted around to lay back.

"Computer run a scan on my power levels and compare against those taken from Jason Scott."

The computer responded with a brief series of beeps indicating that the order had been understood and was being executed. The bar floated free of its dock within the headboard of the medical bed. It halted for a moment just above Billy's head. A purple light, like a thin bar of laser light, projected down onto the bed. The bar began to move again slowly proceeding to the end of the table past Billy's feet before reversing direction. Reaching its starting point the beam shut off and the bar receded once again into the wall. Billy rose from the bed as he demorphed. He walked over toward the screen to look at the results. The screen showed several bars in red and blue comparing various power levels in different armor aspects.

"Switch to a line graph," Billy said. The computer's display changed showing two lines going from point to point. "Compare against normal results,"

The computer made a short buzzing noise as a message appeared across the screen reading: 'Command Unknown 'normal results' please specify'. Billy sighed.

"Compare results against previous results for Jason Scott and Billy Cranston, and compare against the Mean for all active Rangers."

The computer displayed three more lines giving Billy the desired information. He looked over the data for a moment. The line for his normal power level was only slightly higher than his current state. Jason's was much lower than his normal state, more disturbing was that Jason's normal power level was above the team average, but was currently less than half the average. His mind was already racing, but he knew he needed more data. He activated the com system.

"Adam, Ashley, can you come to the medical center please."

Zedd followed Astronema down the corridor into the core of the Dark Fortress. Quantrons stood aside, temporarily abandoning their maintenance work to stand at attention as their Dark Lord and Empress passed by. The two passed through a bulkhead which opened as they approached and closed as they stepped through. Lights came on as the door closed illuminating what appeared to be a workshop of sorts. There was a stench in the air like rotting flesh and blood. Zedd could see the source, a mess of entrails and other biological fluids sat on the floor in a pool below a metal operating table. Most had dried into crusted puddles.

"Get someone in here to clean up detention center three," Astronema said as she activated her com. A mechanical voice acknowledged her request. "I apologize for this my Lord."

"It is of no concern to me," Zedd said. "I came to see the results of your little experiment."

"Well as you commanded the others have been sent to Earth, but we still have the bio-reactor here and of course the unstable one."

"It was my understanding all of them were unstable," Zedd mused.

"That is true my Lord," Astronema replied surprised to see Lord Zedd in a better mood than he had been in as of late. "Though this one is unstable to a degree that leaves him uncontrollable and therefore useless as a weapon."

Astronema directed his attention toward the center of the room. The two walked up to a large cylinder. Suspended in a thick yellow liquid the twitching silhouette of Dark Specter could be seen as flashes of light lit the liquid like a strobe light.

"As you can see the reactor is siphoning off Dark Specter's power and causing him considerable pain in the process. While the gel in which he is held dampens his screams, I can assure you he has not stopped screaming since the reactor was activated." A cruel smile spread across her face.

"I am pleased," Zedd said. "Now show me this unstable creation of yours."

"He's over here," Astronema replied directing Lord Zedd toward one of the detention cells. "We chose to use detention center three because the interrogation chamber made a perfect surgical center, and the cells here are our best."

Astronema inserted a key into a panel and punched in a series of keystrokes among the strange runes that made up the keypad. The primary door slid open revealing several other doors that were sliding open progressively. As each opened laser grids and plasma cutters went offline. As the fifth door opened one last gate could be seen at the end of the short hall. Zedd and Astronema walked down the short corridor to the door that appeared as if it led to a vault. Astronema inserted a different key into another panel and entered a different combination into the keypad. She proceeded to increase the power to the main force field by two hundred percent before activating the control for the gate. The last door opened slowly revealing itself to be several feet thick. The door was made of neutronium which made it capable of crushing an object until it was forced into a state of nuclear fission, though the slow speed at which the door moved necessitated force fields to ensure a prisoner had a negligible chance to capitalize on this weakness.

"Now you will be unable to see much," Astronema said. "It seems he was able to destroy all the lights in his cell screaming some insanity about the photons trying to kill him."

Zedd peered into the darkness seeing the form of the abomination huddled in the corner of the room. Its head rose as the doors thundered coming to a rest.

"So you've come back to try and take me out," he spoke with a dark twisted voice that was still very familiar to Zedd. "I see you've brought friends to help you," he replied looking toward Zedd and Astronema for the first time. His previous comments apparently directed at another perceived threat.

He began to move forward toward Zedd very cautiously. He appeared to be studying Lord Zedd.

"I like you," he said with a sadistic laugh. "You're the kind of thing I could have a good time with," he paused for a moment. "Before I ripped out your entrails and strangle you with them!"

In a burst of speed, nearly too fast for Zedd to keep track of, the creature flew at the force field. There was a bright flash as the creature hit and was thrown back into the cell with such great force that the hall shook as his body impacted against the neutronium walls. Zedd could see the creature unveil rows of needle like teeth as he smiled from the ground where he had slid down.

"I can still hear his voice you know," he said softly. "He begs for me to come kill him, but I can't seem to get out of this box. If you let me out I'll be your friend, I always kill them quickly." He said with a snicker. "I need to get out of here, I need to kill him, but they're all against me, the photons, and I think my own shadow has betrayed me as well," he replied slinking back to his corner rubbing his hands together as if scheming. "I can't wait to get my hands on him," he said looking around as if looking for his prey. "I'd love to just bash his head into the floor until it becomes a crunchy, gooey mass, then I could sleep without having to worry that he was going to strangle me in my sleep. They're all in on it together you know."

"I've seen enough," Zedd replied.

Astronema nodded and activated the controls to close the door. The two began to walk out of the corridor. The cries ringing out from behind them as the creature screamed that he wanted potatoes to help him keep a look out. The door closed with a loud boom silencing the insanity though they were both certain he was still raving within his prison.

"Crystal imaging complete," one of the technicians said as a complex three dimensional image appeared on the screen detailing the internal workings of the morpher.

"This is unbelievable," another said looking over data from a previous test.

"What is it?" the lead tech asked.

"Well the device is divided into three parts, an outer resonator, an inner resonator, and the core which seems to harmonize the two frequencies."

"And those two frequencies are?"

"I'm not sure. Theoretically I suppose one is the power source and the other is connected with the individual somehow, but that's only a guess based on what we know about the Power Rangers. But one of the frequencies is so high that it could not be measured." The tech replied.

"Well you had better figure out a way to measure it, we're running out of time."

"I'll get to work…"

The technician was cut off. An explosion rocked the facility as the power failed. Emergency lighting came back on quickly.

"Did we lose anything?" The lead tech asked.

"No sir, the battery back-ups are working perfectly, but the data needs to be backed up and the system shutdown."

"Do it."

An announcement came blaring over the com system, "All civilian personnel please evacuate immediately the facility has been breached by hostile forces."

The science teams immediately began to exit from the lab as the announcement continued.

"Sections four and five have been compromised. Please proceed through section two and use the emergency elevators on level four."

"Do you think it's Zedd?" one of the techs asked.

"If it is I don't want to find out." Another replied walking faster.

Bullets ricocheted off the golden armor as the monster stormed down the hall toward the soldiers. His wings unfurled making his appearance more intimidating. Manifesting his weapon he tore into their lines slashing through the soldiers in a wide arc before turning to impale another.

"Worthless," he sneered as he kicked the body off his blade and continuing down the hall.

Reaching the end of the hallway he tore through a bulkhead door with relative ease and entered into the laboratory beyond, his large wings tucking in behind him. He looked over the various devices and instruments around the lab and began to search quickly for his objective. Finally he saw the morpher encased in some type of machine. With little finesse he punched his hand through the glass observation window and grabbed the morpher. Turning back the way he had come in he proceeded back down the hallway flames already engulfing the walls.

"General Hamren?"

"What is it?" the General asked looking up at the officer who had entered his office.

"I'm afraid we've got a problem sir."

"And what would that be?"

"Area Fifty-one has been attacked,"

"By who?!" The General asked rising quickly.

"We're not sure, all we have is reports of several assailants; the one who entered the facility was reported to have had gold armor."

"What type of damage are we looking at?"

"Total," the officer replied not wanting to make eye contact. "The facility is burning as we speak, the enemy seems to have pulled out, but everyone stationed there is dead sir."

"I want a Special Ops team ready to go in ten minutes, I want all information recovered and I want a thorough search made for the device."

"Yes sir," he replied saluting and exiting the room.

Hamren sat back down trying to clear his mind. It was likely that Zedd's forces were behind this. In fact it was very likely since the device had belonged to Zedd originally, perhaps he had seen this as the opportunity to recover it and give it to another of his minions. If the Green Ranger emerged again… he had to tie up the loose ends before that happened, no one could find out that they had recovered the Green Ranger's morpher.

Lokar entered Lord Zedd's throne room. The dark Lord sat on his throne staring coldly at Lokar as he came forward, filling him with dread.

"Well Lokar?" Zedd asked gravely.

"It is going well my Lord," Lokar said trying to hide his nervous tone.

"Goldar and the others have recovered the morpher without alerting the Rangers and the situation with the Arcanum Generator has been resolved."

"Excellent," Zedd replied. "And what of Astronema's new pets?"

"They seem to have vanished," Lokar said solemnly. "Through the reactor signal we can verify that they are in Angel Grove, though their exact location is hard to pinpoint. We seem to be having trouble overcoming our own jamming signal."

"For the time being they are free to do as they please, but keep an eye on them."

"Yes my Lord," Lokar said with a bow. "Can I do anything else in service to my Lord?"

"Yes," Zedd replied. "Have Scorpina and Vexacus keep an eye on the Red Ranger, it seems he has weakened somehow, though I feel no disturbance in the morphing grid. Also begin collecting the Starlight Crystals, no sense leaving anything for the Rangers to gain a false sense of confidence from. I want them to feel defeated and hopeless until the end."

"As you wish my Lord," Lokar replied turning to leave.

Zedd watched him go. Things were coming together nicely. Soon it would be time to lift the curtain and reveal the horror that he had waiting for this planet and all those who dared to oppose him. It was only regrettable that the Green Ranger was already dead, for all his treachery he had not suffered enough in his death, still maybe someone else could suffer in his place.

"Thanks Kimberly," Billy said as the scan completed.

"No problem," she replied, her mind distant from the current situation. "You need anything else?"

"No, thanks, that was it."

"Kay," she said demorphing and leaving the room.

Billy sighed as the door closed. She had taken all this so hard, probably worse than any of them, except possibly Jason. Jason had come back and accepted that he would never see his family again, and now that was certain, though something else seemed to be eating at him. Adam had lost his family, but he still had hope that some of his friends were still alive, though no solid information on survivors had become available yet. Ashley had lost her parents, though she seemed to be taking it better than Kim, though he was certain that it was because she was close to Josh that this was such a blow to her. She had invested so much in helping him realize he wasn't alone, and now he was gone, and the prospects of getting him back didn't appear likely.

Billy shifted his attention to the screen. With Kimberly's data he had all the statistics from the whole team. Though what he saw was not encouraging. Even in Kimberly's depressed state she was still just below normal on her power levels. Whatever was affecting Jason in his morphed state was beyond anything that he could detect. It crossed his mind that possibly with Josh's death that the life force he had given to Jason was ebbing away, but he had no way to measure it. He was certain that internal strength of a person had an impact on the morphing process, but this was unfamiliar territory for him scientifically. If only Josh were here, he had the vast knowledge acquired from Ninjor. Surely he would have known what was wrong.

Billy pulled himself away from his train of thought. He couldn't start feeling sorry for himself, and he needed to stop focusing on the idea that if things were different this problem wouldn't exist. Then something Jason had said came racing back to him, 'because we've lost the will to fight', Billy thought about that for a moment. He was sad, but he hadn't given up, if anything he was more determined to defeat Zedd and free the Earth. He knew from the last year that Kimberly was always very optimistic as well, could it be that Jason had lost hope, lost his confidence? Had he already given up and accepted that they would lose? Thinking back he remembered when Jason had faced King Sphinx, he had suffered terribly in that fight because he felt he had to carry it on his own. He had taken his position of leadership so seriously that he had gone to fight Rita's monster on his own and almost died because of it. Was he still struggling with this? Josh had told him that he had a great purpose left and only he could lead the Rangers to victory, was he carrying that on his own? He needed to talk to Jason about this soon, but giving counsel wasn't his area of expertise, he was more comfortable dealing with technical problems, Kimberly, and Ashley were more oriented toward this kind of thing. Even Josh had done well to direct the other Rangers through emotional and mental blocks. Of course with the overwhelming power he often displayed through his prowess it had been hard not to be inspired to fight on no matter what obstacle had faced them. Billy began to realize that he was the glue that had held the team together. Without him things had begun to fall apart. Jason was battling something far deeper than simple sadness and loss. Kimberly was so consumed with loss that she was running herself into the ground trying to keep her hope alive, grasping at every possibility to restore what was lost. Adam and Ashley seemed fine at the moment, but were taking more and more time away trying to stay busy in the face of this latest disaster. Something needed to be done to help pull the team back together.

"You didn't find anything?" Kimberly asked sinking into her chair.

"We looked everywhere," Jason replied. "We checked the entire area around the teleport coordinates that we had from both Josh's trip to the temple and when he and I teleported from there."

"You must have missed something," Kimberly said. "We know it was there."

"Kim," Adam started.

"No!" She snapped. "That temple exists and I'm going to find it again." She said rising to her feet and activating her teleporter beacon. She vanished in a bright burst of pink light.

Jason sighed. Adam sat down at a loss for words. Ashley stood in a daze not knowing what to make of Kimberly's state of mind.

"I knew she was going to take it hard," Jason said finally. "But I thought she'd take it better than this."

"She's been through a lot," Ashley said. "She lost her family, but she was closer to Josh than any of us. She was the one he would confide in; to most of us he was a little distant, especially after he began training with Ninjor."

"I still remember when I first met Josh," Adam said. "He seemed more like a government agent from a movie than a normal teen."

"Really?" Ashley said. "He seemed different when I met him and you for that matter. Maybe he just didn't know how to talk about the subject with you."

"Or he was being theatrical," Jason suggested. "I can't speak much for when he was good, but when he worked for Zedd he had a way of messing with your mind."

"That sounds like him," Adam said.

"So how did he recruit you two?" Jason asked.

"Adam was recruited first," Ashley said pointing toward him.

"Well?" Jason asked.

"It was late last fall, it was a Friday. I was just getting out of class…" Adam began.

"So I'll see you tomorrow," Adam said waving to Rocky and Aisha.

"Nine a.m. at the park," Aisha said.

"I'll be there," Adam said with a smile as he turned and headed down the hall.

He weaved through the hallway as other students where also getting ready for the weekend. Coming to the end of the hall he reached for the door to keep it open as the student before him exited through it. Going through he held it for the girl behind him and then headed down the steps to one of the benches. Opening his backpack he pulled out a pair of roller blades and began putting them on.

"Adam Park?" came a voice from his right.

Adam looked up to see a guy in blue jeans and a black shirt standing amid the falling leaves giving his presence an almost ominous feeling.

"Yeah?"

"Hi, my name's Josh and I need to talk to you about something." He said approaching Adam.

"Oh?" Adam responded.

"If you don't mind I would like to talk to you out of earshot, though I'm fine with it being somewhere public."

"Well in about ten minutes this place will be almost deserted. What is this about?"

"I'm here to offer you a chance to work with a group that helps improve the lives of everyone through," he paused for a moment considering his words. "Community service."

"So why is this something we need to discuss in private?" Adam asked beginning to feel a little uneasy.

Josh walked closer to Adam and reached into one of his jean pockets. He pulled his hand back out clutching something in a fist. Standing a short distance from Adam he cautiously opened his hand revealing a small golden coin that appeared to have a mammoth engraved on it. A dark purple energy coursed over the surface as Adam looked at it. For some reason he felt drawn to the coin almost as if it were calling to him.

"Because the nature of this group is a little sensitive." Josh replied closing his hand.

"What is that?" Adam asked.

"I'll tell you when things quiet down a little," Josh said sitting on the bench next to Adam. "You interested?"

Adam wasn't sure why, but that coin seemed to have a hold over him, despite his initial gut reaction, something inside him was compelling him to stay. "Yeah, definitely."

The two sat on the bench making small talk while the other students left for the weekend. Josh asked questions about Stone Canyon and the High School here. He asked a little about Adam's martial arts experience and discussed his own experience in that area. Adam's eyes lit up as he realized who he was talking to.

"You're Joshua Raine?" Adam asked his voice rising with excitement.

Josh looked around for a moment as if he was concerned. He motioned Adam to keep his voice down. "Yes, but since I'm missing and presumed dead it would be good if you didn't draw too much attention to that fact."

"I don't understand." Adam said.

Josh casually glanced around and determined it was safe to proceed. "Over a month ago a new threat came to Earth, Lord Zedd. He disposed of Rita Repulsa and set about to conquer the planet to add to his vast empire."

"I remember hearing something about that on the news, the press conference with the UN and the other Rangers, well those that are left."

"This," Josh replied opening his hand again. "Is the Mastodon Power Coin. With the use of a device called a morpher it will transform a person into the Black Ranger."

Adam's eyes widened as he realized that Josh was being completely serious. "Why are you telling me all this?" Adam asked trembling at the answer he knew was coming.

"Because you have been chosen to become the new Black Ranger." Josh replied.

Adam sat back for a moment, his head swimming with the small amount of information that had been made known to him. "I can't believe this,"

Josh kept his gaze fixed on him. "Do you accept this honor to defend your planet against those who would seek to destroy it and the human race."

"Of course!" Adam blurted out unable to contain his excitement. "This is the coolest thing that has ever happened! I can't wait to tell Rocky."

"No one else can ever know," Josh said. "Your power would be a secret that could only be shared with the other Rangers."

Adam paused for a moment as he considered the implications of trying to keep a secret this big. His mind was racing with the choice before him and the consequences. "Why does it have to be a secret?"

"Well, even without having to consider the stress placed on your family every time you had to face Zedd's forces you have to consider people who are less moral. There are people in this world that would stop at nothing to get this power to use for their own selfish gain. That would put your family and friends in danger."

"I hadn't thought of that," Adam said looking at the ground. "So which Ranger are you?"

A wash of sorrow came over Josh's face. Adam could tell something about the question had bothered him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's not important,"

"I'm the green one," Josh replied. "I'm the reason we need three new Rangers,"

Adam was uncertain how to respond. He had seen the news, heard the reports. He knew the Pink and Blue Rangers had vouched for the Green Ranger, but he was also the one who had attacked Angel Grove and ended the lives of three of the Rangers along with several local teenagers. Had they somehow gotten in the way or found out his secret? He remembered the Rangers calling it a curse or spell or something like that. Something he had had no control over, though Adam couldn't fathom what that would be like. Of course if this guy wanted to harm him he surely would have done it by now, and he did feel with every fiber of his being that this was something he wanted.

"I'll do it," Adam said quietly.

Without looking over Josh passed the Power Coin to Adam. As Adam took the coin, closing his hand around it he felt a warm sensation spreading from his arm through the rest of his body, fragments of memories began to flash in his mind, a fight with a monstrous black knight flooded his mind. Adam began to shake as the emotions of the fight surfaced through the memories, but it quickly passed. Faces flashed in his mind, people that he had never met that now somehow seemed familiar. It all passed in a matter of seconds leaving Adam on the bench once again with Josh.

"What was that?" Adam asked.

"The coin was passing along the consciousness that has been imprinted on it over time, like a psychic echo, everyone who has ever used that coin has left a piece of who they were with it, usually events of intense emotion."

"Weird," was all Adam could manage.

"Well I have one more recruit to get," Josh said. "You can come with or I can return for you when I'm done with her."

"How long are we going to be gone?" Adam asked.

"I can get you back anytime you need to be, though I'm not sure how long this will take. You came around very quickly, I don't know if she will also, I can only hope."

"I guess I can come with," Adam replied. "By the way, how do I, you know, transform?"

"You need your morpher, which is back at the Command Center, you'll receive it when you meet the other Rangers."

"Command Center?"

"It's our base of operations," Josh said. "When you meet Billy he'll get you up to speed on everything."

"He must be the blue one," Adam thought out loud.

"You need to put your hand on me somewhere," Josh said.

"Why?"

"Because I'm about to teleport, it's going to be a little weird,"

Adam hesitantly placed a hand on Josh's shoulder. Josh brought his arms up looking around cautiously before activating a small wrist device that looked like a fancy watch. In a flash of green light Adam saw the entire landscape change in an instant. It took him a moment to reorient himself, though nothing looked familiar.

"Where are we?" Adam asked.

"About a block from Angel Grove Junior High," He replied looking around.

"Okay you can stop there," Ashley interrupted.

"Why?' Jason asked.

"I don't want to tell you about how I first met Josh, it's embarrassing." She replied.

"Now I want to know," Jason said smiling.

Adam grinned and started again, "Well we got to the Junior High School and…"

"Don't you dare!" Ashley said slapping Adam's arm and giving him a very stern look.

"What?" Adam replied laughing. "It's a good story."

Billy watched the exchange from the medical center door. "Even when you're gone you still have a way of holding this team together," Billy said quietly. He stood there and watched for a moment as Adam tried to continue the story, Ashley wrapped her arm around him and tried to cover his mouth telling him to stop, her face turning red.

"How bad could it be," Jason asked.

"Just not right now," Ashley said still clasping her hand over Adam's mouth. "At least let me be the one to tell it!"

"Okay," Jason said holding out his hand indicating he wanted her to proceed.

"I said not now," she repeated. Adam tried to mumble something. "And you don't tell him either, I'm going to get Kimberly, you can hear the story when I get back. Okay?"

"Fine," Jason replied.

Adam nodded, but couldn't help laughing as she kept her hand over his mouth.

"I mean it," she said letting go and bringing her wrist up placing her fingers on the buttons that activated the teleportation sequence. "Not until I get back."

Adam nodded again with a wide smile across his face. In a streak of yellow light Ashley vanished from the room.

Kimberly materialized in a somewhat large clearing in the middle of a bamboo forest, the light reflecting in green from all the rich plant life that surrounded her from the bright noon-day sun. She was astounded by the beauty of the area, though at the same time she was saddened realizing that Josh had stood where her feet now were. Somewhere around here the temple must exist. Whole buildings like the one Josh described didn't simply vanish. It must be here, maybe it was invisible or something else; what did Billy call it? She had heard him use a term once that meant two objects could be in the same place, but one not be visible; it didn't matter. If this temple could disappear it could also reappear, she just had to find out how. She began to walk around the edge of the clearing looking for a sign, an engraving, a symbol, or anything that just seemed out of place. She completed a lap around the area, but had found nothing. In frustration she sat down in the grass and tried to clear her mind, what was she missing?

"Daijobudesuka?" an elderly man's voice came from behind her.

Kimberly whirled around suddenly jumping to her feet. Standing in the clearing, just off a path she had not previously noticed was an old man in red and white robes. He was clean shaven with dark brown eyes. He looked at Kimberly strangely as if not sure what to make of her.

"I'm sorry?" she replied.

"You are American?" the man asked a little perplexed. His accent was heavy.

"Yes, from Angel Grove in California." She paused for a moment, "Do you speak much English."

"Hai," the man responded.

"Does that mean yes or no?" Kimberly asked awkwardly.

"Yes, I do," the man said with a smile. "Forgive me it has been long time since I have had need of this language."

"Oh it's fine," Kimberly said with a smile feeling a little awkward. "What did you ask when you first came here?"

"I asked, are you okay?"

"Not really," Kimberly said with a sigh.

"What is the matter, if I may ask?"

Kimberly paused for a moment, how could she even explain what she was doing without having to explain the whole situation and who she really was?

"It's complicated," she said trying to find the words to explain. "I'm looking for a temple that was around here,"

"I see," the man replied. "And why have you come so far for such a thing?"

"My friend is there, I'm trying to get him back,"

"Forgive me, but if he wished to return would he simply not come on his own?"

"He can't," she said, not on his own.

"So he is a prisoner?"

"Yeah," she said looking into the sky trying to hold back the tears.

"Did he commit some crime?"

"No, he was imprisoned there because he tried to stop some evil people."

"So he is held by these evil people?"

"Yes," she paused for a moment and thought about it. Technically he was either in the world between or had moved on, either way she was certain he was not in Maki. "No, I suppose he is being held by good people."

"In such a case is he not then being held for a good purpose?" the man asked.

"I don't know," Kimberly said. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"It seems a rather simple matter to me, but it seems there is little I can assist you with."

"Not unless you know how to get to the temple," Kimberly sighed.

"It does not contain what you are searching for Ptera-musha,"

Kimberly spun around, but the man had vanished, and the path he had been standing beside had also vanished. Kimberly tried to gather her thoughts, had she only imagined it? What had he called her at the end? Ptera Mushi? Tara Musha? Did he know who she was?

"Wait!" she called out. "I'm looking for Joshua Raine! I'm looking for the Green Ranger!"

She fell on her knees and began to cry, it seemed hopeless, she would never find Josh; he was gone. As she began to feel the cold crushing pain of loss a wind swept over her, ever so faintly she heard a whisper. She couldn't be certain but she thought she heard the words 'What you seek is not here'. She paused and contemplated the words. Was it possible Josh wasn't here because he moved on? Or was it possible that he was alive somewhere else? She was torn between the two possibilities, she wanted to believe he was alive, but she couldn't get her mind around the idea. Angel Grove had been at the center of the impact and Josh had been at the center of the fireball. Unless he had gotten out before? But, where would he have gone? He would have tried to contact them, wouldn't he?

"What do you mean what I want isn't here?!" she cried out.

She bowed her head and closed her eyes tight listening intently for an answer, but nothing came, the air was still. No sound carried except the distant cries of birds.

"Kim?" a familiar voice came.

"Yeah?" she responded keeping her head down and eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know," Kimberly said. "All I know is what I'm looking for isn't here…"

Trip stared out the forward viewport in disbelief. What had greeted him as the Time Shadow had emerged from its wormhole was not the bright lights of Angel Grove, but a desolate landscape more akin to a desert. The craft flew silently over the barren terrain, circling, looking for any indication of what had happened.

"Maybe we're in the wrong place?" Sean suggested.

"Negative," Circuit replied. "Local global positioning indicates we're over Angel Grove."

"Circuit, engage the ship's cloaking field." Trip said seemingly lost in thought.

"We're too late," Tiberus said weakly sinking into a chair.

"Has Earth already been destroyed?" Vleks asked.

"Negative," Circuit replied. "According to military data this is a result of a battle between the forces of Lord Zedd and the Power Rangers."

"This isn't how history went," Trip said grimly.

"No, it isn't," Circuit said in agreement.

"We need to find the Power Rangers and get some answers," Trip said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Tiberus asked. "The whole city's been destroyed!"

"There is no evidence that the Command Center ever existed within the city," Circuit responded.

The ship was suddenly shaken.

"We're under attack," Circuit reported, the ship shook violently as another volley connected. "Engines off line, assume crash positions."

Trip was thrown into the wall as the massive airship hurdled to the ground. Sean was still buckled into his seat. Tiberus held onto his chair, his claws digging in deep to the material. Vleks was battered into the center console before grabbing onto the handle of an access panel. Trip was thrown again as the ship lurched out of control, but Vleks reached out and caught his arm. Pulling him in quickly Vleks shielded their heads as the Time Shadow plowed into the ground.

"What was that?" Astronema demanded looking out from the bridge of the Dark Fortress.

"I'm not sure my Empress." Ecliptor replied. "It had a power signature similar to the Ranger's equipment, it was definitely drawing power from the morphing grid."

"I need more information Ecliptor, I can't tell Lord Zedd that we just shot down a Ranger's ship. Get someone down there to investigate!"

"Yes Empress," Ecliptor replied with a bow.

The sun had set over the mountains as Kimberly and Ashley teleported back to the Command Center. As they materialized they saw the other Rangers fixated on the holo-display. The alarm was still sounding.

"Oh, perfect timing," Billy said noting their arrival.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked as she and Kimberly came forward to the display.

"Unknown object has been shot down over Angel Grove," Beta replied.

"What do you mean unknown?" Kimberly asked.

"Something came through a wormhole, cloaked, and was then shot out of the sky by the Dark Fortress." Billy added as he continued to scan through the incoming sensor data. "It has a power signature compatible with the morphing grid."

"Other Rangers?" Jason asked.

"Not sure," Billy replied. "But they seem to be using the same technology as us, but far more advanced."

"We need to investigate," Jason said.

"Enemy materialization in progress," Beta said.

"Display," Billy replied.

"Compliance."

The holo-display shifted to show two figures materialize in a blaze of dark purple light that streaked down from the sky. Ecliptor and Hephaestus emerged from the light, though for a moment there almost appeared to be more shapes present.

"Did you see that?" Billy asked.

"See what?" Adam asked.

"I thought I saw something, or someone else,"

"I didn't see anyone but those two," Jason replied.

"It's not going to matter though, "Ashley said pointing toward Hephaestus. "He's already doing it again."

The Rangers looked on as green energy radiated from the creature. In a flash, like lightning, it went out in all directions like a series of ripples on the surface of the water.

"This isn't going to be good," Adam said.

The Rangers watched as the corpses began to rise from the ground gathering in huge numbers around an open space at the end of a stretch of marred earth that Billy could only assume was the crash site. The ship had maintained its cloak despite the damage, though it seemed it was not above whatever methods of detection that Lord Zedd possessed.

"I think we're going to need those new weapons Billy," Jason said watching the display.

"I agree," Billy replied. "Follow me,"

The Rangers turned from the holo display and walked toward a cylindrical door that protruded from one of the walls. Billy pressed a series of buttons causing the drum to rotate revealing a circular platform which the five teens stepped onto. The structure rotated again sealing the tube and the platform began to descend.

Jason was amazed as the lift continued to descend, he had never imagined that the Command Center ran so deep into the earth. Though when he considered the Zord hangers that were beneath the mountain range and all the other equipment that was down here it made sense.

The walls suddenly vanished as the lift passed through a large underground cavern. A large machine dominated most of the cavern. At the core was a bright sphere of white energy, like a small sun.

"What is all this?" Jason asked.

"This is the central power core and teleportation system." Billy replied as the lift reached the bottom of the cavern and the room vanished behind walls of rock. "That light was a fusion reactor, basically an artificial star created to power the Command Center."

"I never realized that it took so much power," Jason said as the lift came to a stop.

The room was circular with twelve heavy doors around the outer wall labeled with strange icons. Billy stepped off the lift and headed toward one of the doors, the other Rangers following behind him.

"The teleportation system alone uses a great amount of that power, especially when you consider the power that is required to disassemble something the size of a Zord and reassemble it somewhere else."

The group stopped in front of the large door. A small pedestal rose from the ground, the center of its top uncoiled to reveal a small circular indentation. It stopped a meter from the floor. Billy removed his coin from the morpher and placed it in the indentation. A dull purple light was visible from a moment before the coin was raised out of the port. Billy took it and placed it back into his morpher. The pedestal descended back into the floor as the huge door began to split open. The Rangers entered into the darkness slowly.

"Computer, activate Power Cycles," Billy said.

Multiple sounds emanated from the darkness as several objects became visible through thin lines of multi-colored light. Six high tech motorcycles were now visible, each a glossy black with lines of light running over the joints and corners of the bikes in the color of each Ranger. The cycles were longer than a conventional motor cycle, like a fusion between a drag racer and a bike, but built more like a tank. The front and back both sported a heavy pair of wheels. Each cycle had the head of the Ranger's respective animal on the front above the heavy braces leading to the front wheels.

"These are the new Power Cycles I developed," Billy said. "They're capable of changing to meet various situational needs. The cycle mode, which they're presently in, is for speed, but they also have three other modes. There is an ATV mode for maneuverability and rough terrain, a hover mode for water and limited flight. They also have a battle mode in which they will form a sort of exoskeletal armor around you which has been designed to work with your existing armor and Power Weapons."

"These are so cool," Adam said walking over to his cycle, the deep purple light radiating from the bike, the Mastodon head extending out with the trunk running along the wheel brace.

Kimberly walked over to the sixth cycle, its bright green light falling on her face glistening off the tears forming in her eyes, the dragon's head reaching out over the brace. He would never get to use it. She ran her hand over the head and then turned away. The other Rangers were too involved with their own bikes to notice. Kimberly turned around to look at her own cycle. The pink light ran over the surface in a fiery glow, the Pterodactyl head extending out, nearly reaching to the wheels.

Jason looked over his cycle hoping this would give them the edge they needed to beat Zedd's forces. Sitting on the bike and running his hand over the dash board he felt the smallest sense of hope spring up.

"Alright Rangers, let's do this."

Hephaestus surveyed the darkness as his zombie hordes meandered about the crash site, their pale green eyes speckling the landscape. Ecliptor had left him to stand guard while he tried to find a way into the craft they had shot down. An even more difficult task given that the structure was cloaked. While Ecliptor had been able to see the rough dimensions of the ship, he could not see any detail. This made locating a door or access panel a difficult endeavor.

Now, without anyone else around the goblin had grown increasingly bored. The Power Rangers had not shown up and his undead companions provided little entertainment for him. He flipped over and stood on his hands for a moment pacing around on the top of the hill of debris the ship had created in its crash landing. Even upside down he could see over the hunched bodies of his minions, not that there was anything to see. Even the pathetic people of this planet should have responded by now. Unless of course the ship was so far beyond there capabilities of detection that they had failed to notice it at all, and given the deserted nature of the area the shot from the Dark Fortress might have gone unnoticed as well. Hephaestus flipped back to his feet and kicked a rock letting out a sigh. So many perfectly good corpses might go to waste if the Rangers didn't show up.

His ears suddenly perked up as he detected the sound of some type of engine, not combustion, more like the whirl of an electric motor, but with more power behind it. His lips spread in a cruel grin, they were coming. He frantically began to scan the horizon, but could see nothing, though his sensitive ears could pinpoint the direction of the sound. His zombies began to lurch into position between the noise and the ship. It was growing louder and he began to pick out the distinct sounds of each of the motors, five in all. His heart began to race as he anticipated the imminent attack. Then he saw one, only the faintest light reflected off a gloss black surface.

"Attack!" the imp screamed in a high pitched raspy whine as he pointed out the attacker.

The zombies began to run in the direction he had indicated. In a blaze of energy five cycles lit up in the night unleashing a volley of fire from laser cannons and rocket pods mounted on the bikes. The enemy lines erupted in flame as flesh and bone were incinerated and blasted apart.

"Adam, Billy, you get inside that ship, Kimberly, Ashley, and I will keep these guys busy." Jason said.

"Got it," Billy replied as he and Adam accelerated.

"Open a path for them!" Jason ordered.

Kimberly swerved to the right launching her cycle off a debris pile. As the bike launched into the air it began to twist and wrapped around her body; her seat rotated backward, the dash board coming over her chest as the Pterodactyl head rotated and covered her helmet. The back of the bike split and wrapped around her legs leaving the back wheels close to her feet. The front brace split apart and expanded like wings behind her, energy surged from the inside of the wheels given the armor lift. Plates shifted over her arms and mid section enclosing her in a suit of black armor radiant with pink lines. In a burst of pink light a long bow manifested on her left arm gauntlet encompassing her hand in a diamond shaped mechanism with a large opening on the front. She brought her arm up, the string forming as a thread of pink light. The opening glowed fiercely as Kimberly let her shots fly. The string flew wildly blurring into a plane of pink light as the bow fired with a speed that rivaled any known automatic weapon. Corpses were torn asunder in the flurry of arrows that beat a path to the ship.

Jason and Ashley raced into the zombie lines, their bikes transforming in the same fashion. Jason manifest his sword, a long, thick, light lined, blade projected from the right arm gauntlet. Two smaller blades projected from each of Ashley's armored gauntlets. The two Rangers brought their blades in front of them as they slammed into the front of the zombies mowing their bodies down with little effort. Ichor peppered their armor as the bodies were torn in half. With the way clear Billy and Adam raced up the center of the undead horde.

Billy could see the ship through his optics, or rather the cloaking field that was coursing over the craft. Both bikes transformed as the two used the jets to leap to the top of the ship.

"How are we going to get in?" Adam asked.

"Working on it," Billy said punching into the superstructure of the ship. "Just keep me covered."

Adam watched as several cables leapt from Billy's gauntlet and vanished through the cloaking field. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to hack into the ship's mainframe and shut down the cloaking field."

A warning light flashed on Adam's HUD indicating an attack. A large battle axe slid from the right gauntlet as Adam turned to block. The axe's shaft met with Ecliptor's blade, the shaft cracked and sparked, but held.

"Leave now," Ecliptor said pushing against Adam's weapon.

Adam engaged his jets and pushed hard sending Ecliptor back on to a knee.

"What do you want with this ship?" Adam asked.

"None of your business." Ecliptor retorted struggling against the shear force of the combat armor.

Adam activated his blaster on the left gauntlet and fired several shots into Ecliptor's torso. Ecliptor fell away as nanobots raced through his internal workings to the location of the burns in his armor knitting his body shut with remarkable speed.

"How much longer Billy?" Adam asked through the com system as he and Ecliptor squared off.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "Whatever this is it's advanced. Maybe more advanced than Eltarian technology."

Below Jason was facing off with Hephaestus as Kimberly and Ashley continued to cut down the zombies in a display of raw power and martial prowess.

"Give up," Jason said bringing his sword arm back. "This isn't going to be like last time."

"You don't scare me," Hephaestus said manifesting a curved blade in his hands, the jagged metal ran without any pattern forming jagged points and barbs along the length of the blade. "I can hear it in your voice," his voice shifted to a deep roar, "you're afraid."

The two raced toward each other. Hephaestus screamed wildly as he leapt into the air to meet Jason. The two blades clashed. To Jason's dismay Hephaestus' sword splintered his sword and pierced into the armored gauntlet ripping a deep gash down his arm. Jason screamed in agony as his heavy armor plowed into the ground. Hephaestus turned to face him, delight gleaming in his eyes.

Ecliptor charged Adam who brought his axe up to block. The two met again in a clash of weapons. Ecliptor had managed to find his footing and was holding his own against Adam's new strength. A sudden scream rang through the air followed by another cry. Ecliptor already knew what was happening. He knew they shouldn't have brought that crazed monster. Distracted, Adam threw a roundhouse kick into the side of Ecliptor's head sending him flying off the side of the craft. He hit the ground sending up a cloud of dust. He quickly looked up to see the small form of Hephaestus walking toward the mass of red light and black armor that was the Red Ranger lying on the ground.

Hephaestus raised the sword above his head, the blade turned down ready to kill his prey. Ecliptor signaled Astronema for an emergency teleport, but it was too late. The blade began to fall before he could finish. Suddenly with blinding ferocity a hail of pink bolts slammed into the goblin sending him into the side of the craft, his force field doing little to reduce the force of the shots. The imp's body vanished in a streak of purple light as the arrows continued to hammer his frame. Several bolts slammed into the side of the craft before Kimberly was able to stop her attack. The zombies began to drop, as if they were puppets whose strings had been cut, leaving piles of bodies on the desolate ground.

"Jason!" Kimberly shouted as she raced to his side. She knelt in her armor next to him. "Are you okay?"

Ashley moved in to cover the two of them though it seemed for the moment that their enemy had fled.

"My arm is pretty messed up," Jason replied, his armored hand doing little as it clutched at the mangled armor of his right gauntlet.

"Billy!" Kimberly called.

Billy disconnected from the ship and jumped down to where Jason had fallen. He surveyed the damage from his HUD. It didn't make any sense to him, the armor was showing signs of sever instability. Could it be that this new enemy really had weapons this powerful? There was no way to know for sure until he could analyze the data from the armor back at the Command Center.

"Beta, medical teleport for Jason,"

"Compliance," Beta responded.

Jason began to object, but his words were lost as he vanished in a flash of red light.

"Will he be okay?" Ashley asked.

"The injury isn't anything that a little bio regeneration won't fix," Billy replied trying to sound confident.

"Guys?" Adam called.

While they had been distracted the ship had become visible, the cloaking field faded leaving what looked like a huge wing sitting on the ground. Massive pods were on either side housing the engines and what looked to be heavy cannons of some kind. Adam was standing on a raised portion of the craft just beyond what appeared to be the bridge.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked.

"Not sure," Billy said. "Though it looks more like an earth-based design than I would have guessed."

Adam leapt down to join the other Rangers. Billy scanned the exterior of the large craft noting the readings and structural information he was getting. As the group walked along the underside of the craft Billy noticed the words 'Time Shadow' written across the inside of the pods along with other marking that were similar to current military markings. He continued to scan the surface of the ship noticing an access panel and a sealed ramp. As the Rangers approached the ramp activated lowering down.

"What do you think?" Adam asked.

"I think we need to check it out," Billy said looking into the blackness of the ship.

Cautiously the Rangers began to make their way up the ramp, still no sign of the occupants of the ship. Coming to the top of the ramp Billy realized that they had effectively entered a cargo hold. To one side was a door, though it was too small to accommodate their battle armor. Billy's armor opened allowing him to step out of the suit before it began to transform back into its cycle form.

"Kimberly, Ashley, stay here and keep us covered, Adam you're with me."

Adam's armor opened as he stepped out to join Billy. As the two Rangers approached the door Kimberly brought her bow up keeping a firing line on the door. The door slid open revealing an elevator car of some sort. Billy peered in but saw no system of control.

"Destination?" a calm male voice said.

Kimberly twitched at the sound; Ashley brought her bladed gauntlets up. Billy raised a hand signaling them to relax as he scanned around for the source of the sound, but could find none.

"Please indicate a destination," the voice said again.

"I think it's voice controlled," Billy said.

"I'm sorry that location does not exist." The voice responded.

Billy stepped into the tube. Adam followed him in.

"Bridge," Billy said.

"Bridge," the voice repeated as the doors closed.

"I don't think you should have just opened the door," Sean said. The bridge was dark except for the emergency lighting which bathed everything in a crimson hue.

"These are the Rangers we are looking for," Trip said.

"Then why not go out there?" Tiberus asked.

"You saw what happened out there," Trip replied. "This is all wrong, none of this should be happening, or should have happened. I'm not even sure what shot us down. It's safer to wait here for them to come to us."

"I would agree," a voice said from the corner. "We can be a little jumpy."

The four Time Force personnel looked up to see two Rangers standing in the corner near the lift, though the colors of their armor were washed out in the red light making them both appear black.

"Who are you?" Trip asked.

"The real question is who are you?" one of them asked stepping forward.

"I'm Trip of the Time Force Rangers."

"You're Power Rangers?"

"We're here to talk to you and Zordon. Something has gone wrong with the time stream."

"Oh?" he replied pulling his blade blaster and converting it to blaster mode. "I kind of like how things are coming along." With a grin spreading across his face the Ranger brought the weapon up and pulled the trigger.


	8. Chapter 8

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-8-

Time seemed to slow for a moment as the weapon discharged. The bolt of bright red plasma flew toward Sean boring into his forehead. Trip activated his Chrono-Morpher as the back of Sean's head exploded, evaporating blood and sending a mass of cooked flesh and bone at him. In a flash the armor appeared shielding him as the mess of sizzling effluence sprayed onto his face mask. Tiberus and Vleks dove to the floor seeking cover behind consoles while the other Ranger drew his weapon. Trip went for his Chrono-Blaster as the second bolt left the barrel of the Blade-Blaster. Trip dropped to a knee as the bolt grazed the left side of his helmet and fired a single shot hitting the first Ranger dead center. The burst of light from the impact lit the room for a moment and Trip saw another figure moving from the shadows toward the other Rangers. The dark figure looked as if it were wearing Ranger armor, but had some type of shoulder guards or vest like an inverted triangle. Before the second Ranger could fire the unknown figure tackled them both taking them to the ground.

The lift door opened as the trio went to the ground. Billy and Adam stepped out of the lift unsure what to make of the fight that they found before them. Trip spun to bring his weapon against the new intruders on the bridge. Billy and Adam quickly went for their own Blade-Blasters. Not willing to hesitate again Trip opened fire putting several shots into Billy's chest.

Billy fell to the floor clutching his chest as the charred armor seared his flesh. Adam dropped to Billy's side shielding him. Billy rolled onto his side bringing up his communicator.

"Get to the bridge now!" he ordered.

"Circuit lock down the lift," Trip ordered.

"Done," the owl replied his eyes shifting to green for a moment.

"Stupid bird," One of the unknown Rangers said managing to get a shot off. The bolt flew wide missing Circuit and destroying an instrument panel in a shower of sparks. Circuit quickly flew to cover beneath the command console.

Adam could hear the frantic responses from Kimberly and Ashley over the com as they tried to access the lift from their side. He tried to activate the lift control panel from his side as well, but it was useless. The two Rangers on the floor managed to kick their assailant off and sent him flying into the control console with a loud crack as the polymer casing shattered under the force. His body collapsed on the floor.

Billy was suddenly lost in the moment as he saw the form of the figure slammed into the console. It was impossible, it just couldn't be.

"Josh?" Adam said apparently noticing what Billy had.

The Ranger looked at Billy and Adam for a moment before his form sunk into his own shadow and vanished. The two other Rangers rose opening fire on Trip, Billy, and Adam. As they rose Adam could see for the first time that their armor looked exactly like his and Jason's. It suddenly made perfect sense to him why the other Ranger had fired on them when they entered and the horrible deception that must have taken place here. With no questions left in his mind Adam opened fire on the imposters. The plasma bolts impacted on the imposter's armor, but seemed to do little to either of the attackers. Their return fire sent Trip and Adam to the ground, their armor scorched by the strange weapons these fakes wielded.

"We can't kill these two," the red imposter said looking at Billy and Adam.

"What about him?" the other asked looking at Trip.

"What about him?" the red one replied with a smile.

The imposters brought their blasters to bear against Trip. Suddenly the forward bridge windshield exploded in a flurry of pink bolts. The two imposters were thrown back by the shear force of the attack. The avalanche stopped as Ashley came crashing through the other side of the windshield plunging her left dagger toward the black imposter, but the blade bent slightly and grazed off the armor.

"What are these things?" Ashley asked in shock.

"Superior to you," the black warrior replied manifesting an onyx black combat axe.

The black imposter swung in an upward motion cleaving into her armor and wrecking the chest plate. As she flew back the counterfeit leapt, his axe shaft extending in length to match his height, and plunged it into the battle armor's head. The shaft smashed into the forehead of the Sabretooth Tiger, Ashley could feel it sliding through just above her head.

"Great, there goes all our fun!" the red warrior shouted raising his hands in the air as both of the doppelgangers vanished in a burst of purple light. In an instant they had materialized in a large room. On the far end, at a computer terminal, sat another figure in blue armor, but unlike the two Rangers his armor was predominantly black with blue crests on the chest, arms, and legs. An emblem was present on his chest, like a triceratops, but twisted and mangled like a child's drawing gone wrong. His head had wing-like crests on either side of his face in blue running toward the back of his head. His large mouth was wide in a smile of jagged, needle-like fangs that reached from ear to ear.

"Things not go well?" he asked not looking up from whatever work currently held his attention. His voice sounded very much like Billy's though there was a strong taint of wildness to it.

"It was all Black's fault." The red one said. "He nearly decapitated the Yellow Ranger and tripped the restraining nodes."

"What?!" Another voice like Ashley's came from elsewhere in the room as another abomination entered, clad in yellow rather than blue and with a feminine form. She approached the black figure and swung with a wild punch sending him flying into the wall. "If you ever touch her again I'll beat you to death with a waffle iron!"

"Looks like you pissed her off," a pink one said entering the room with a smile. "And why are you still wearing those stupid disguises? They're so ugly."

The black warrior rose to his feet. Bubbles began to form on both of the imitators' armor bursting in hideous pops of puss and black fluid. The two began pulling at their armor which had begun to hang loose on their forms like melting plastic. As their coverings continued to deteriorate they tore them apart exposing their true forms. Finally tearing free the two stepped from their coverings leaving them dissolving in a smoking, bubbling mess on the floor.

"Happy now Pink?" Red asked.

Pink laughed, "I'd have thought being in those monkey suits was more your problem."

"I will admit that it feels good to be back in my own skin." Black said wiping off his flesh as if the vileness of his Ranger form still clung to him.

"Shut up," Red said glaring at him. "You're just encouraging her."

"You're just mad because playtime was cut short." Black said. "What you should be mad about is the leash they have us on,"

"I don't advise making Red angry," Blue said with a snicker. "You know how he gets when he's mad."

"When is he not angry?" Pink asked sticking a long purple tongue out at Red.

Blue looked up for a moment as if contemplating something, "Good point," he conceded returning to his work.

"What are you so intently working on over there?" Red asked coming to the terminal where Blue was working.

"I'm making some real progress in my latest project." Blue gloated.

"And that would be?" Black asked.

"I have figured out how to reproduce the abilities of the Power Rangers in primates." He said pressing a few buttons. A pedestal rose by the terminal containing an adult lemur and glass tube. "You have to use lemurs. When you subject them to the stress of the Morphing Grid they don't exploded," He said pushing a button. Energy coursed through the container transforming the lemur's body into an armored fighting machine before it exploded in a slurry of red fluid. "…as quickly; Lemur shake anyone?"

"Have you come up with anything that would be of use for our next mission?" Red asked.

"Yes," Blue replied as he poured some of the containers contents into a glass. Taking a sip he grabbed a spherical device that was sitting on the terminal and held it out to Red grasping it by a large glass square attached to the bottom.

"And what does this do?" Red asked taking the device from Blue.

"I'm not sure," Blue said. "It's either an antimatter bomb, flesh eating virus, or a device to turn large bodies of water into blueberry gelatin. All I know is it does something fun."

"And how would you know that?" Yellow asked.

Blue made a rotating motion with his hand. "Turn it over."

Red flipped the sphere over looking at the glass box on its surface. The box encased a large red button with the words 'In case of boredom break glass' printed on the surface.

Red grinned as he read it, "Perfect,"

"The Psychos were recalled via their restraining nodes," Ecliptor said.

"It seems they can't resist the urge to kill the Rangers," Astronema said gazing out one of the windows into space.

"We should put one of those systems on Hephaestus too," Ecliptor growled. "The little beast nearly carved up the Red Ranger."

"We'll worry about that later. I want Goldar, Vexacus, and Scorpina to finish the Psycho's job,"

"Yes Empress,"

"Ashley!" Kimberly screamed as the two imposters vanished from the room. Kimberly ejected from her battle armor and ran to Ashley's side. She gripped onto the smashed Tiger's head and tore it back. To her relief she could see that Ashley's helmet was still in one piece.

"I'm okay." Ashley said. "He just missed my head."

"What were those things?" Kimberly asked forgetting about everything else for a moment and helping Ashley out of her battle armor.

"No idea," Billy said rolling onto his chest and pushing himself up. "Some kind of fake Rangers, but with more power than we have."

Trip rolled onto his side placing a hand on Sean's body rolling him onto his back. The wound had been cauterized by the shot, and Trip was trying to shield the carnage from everyone's eyes. Demorphing he took off his white jacket, the jumpsuit parting as if the material were a liquid, and placed it over Sean's head and upper torso.

"I'm sorry," Kimberly said taking notice of Trip and the body.

"He was a good man," Trip said solemnly.

"Is it safe to come out?" a voice asked from behind a console.

"I think so," Trip said.

Kimberly and Ashley watched in shock as two strange creatures emerged from behind Trip. Kimberly caught sight of Vleks first.

"Ew, gross," she said then, in realization, clasped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry," she said looking a little sheepish.

"It is okay," Vleks said. "I'm sure I must look strange to you, but you look very strange to me as well."

Kimberly blushed slightly as she considered the truth of what he said. Adam and Billy rose and joined the girls on the center of the deck.

"So would it be safe to assume that you are the Power Rangers?" Trip asked looking up at the four of them as he rose.

"Yes," Billy replied looking at Trip and his companions. He took notice of the green jewel that seemed to be imbedded in Trip's forehead. "You're not human are you?"

"None of us are now," Trip said nodding his head toward Sean's body. "I'm a Xybrian, Vleks here is Nenothian, and Tiberus is a Velian." He said motioning to the others in turn. Vleks and Tiberus both nodded.

"I'm Billy, this is Adam, Kimberly, and Ashley." The Rangers nodding in turn as well.

"My name is Trip. I'm a Time Force operative, a group of Power Rangers from the year three thousand charged with protecting the world as law enforcers."

"So do we survive this invasion then?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Trip said. "This is not how history, the history of my future, went, which is why I'm here."

"So this all wasn't suppose to happen?" Ashley asked.

"You're not suppose to even be a Ranger," Trip replied to her, "At least not yet, if you're the Ashley I think you are."

"Does this mean Josh wasn't suppose to die?" Kimberly asked hopeful that this could all be changed somehow.

"Who?" Trip asked.

"Joshua Raine," she said. "The Green Ranger."

"Found him," Circuit replied flying up on to the table.

"This is Circuit," Trip said. "He is similar to your Alpha five."

"Alpha is no longer with us," Billy said. "He and Zordon were both removed by the Green Ranger when he was serving Lord Zedd."

"Wait, what?" Trip asked. "You mean," Trip paused trying to wrap his mind around all this. From those few words Trip realized that whatever had gone wrong in the time line had happened long before their arrival. Zedd shouldn't have been the one who employed the Green Ranger and Zordon and Alpha should still be here. "Where are Jason and Tommy?"

"Jason's back at the Command Center healing, I'm afraid I don't know anyone named Tommy." Billy said.

Trip was about to ask another question when three flashes of red light illuminated the room. Three forms stepped through the crimson as if breaking the surface of water. Goldar, Vexacus, and Scorpina stepped out drawing their swords. The Rangers quickly moved between the three attackers and the new arrivals.

"Beta, emergency teleport," Billy said. There was no response.

The trio stepped forward cautiously. The Rangers manifested their weapons. Trip activated his Morpher and transformed in a flash of green light. Goldar growled, annoyed to see that color on another Ranger.

"Are you going to oppose us?" Vexacus questioned.

"Ye…" Adam began.

Before he could finish the three warriors charged forward.

Jason sat on the bed in the Medical Bay looking at his hand. There was still a scar from where the blade had cut through, but the cellular regenerator had done a good job at fixing the wound quickly. An IV was in his other arm replacing the last of the plasma he would need to compensate for the blood loss. His mind was on the fight that had placed him here. What was it about that little imp that made him so powerless? Twice now he had failed against that monster. He wondered if Billy's tests had found anything.

"Can I see the results for the power tests on the Rangers?" he asked looking at the main terminal.

There was a beep as the data came up on the screen. Jason could see several lines in varying colors that squirmed across the screen. Though he couldn't discern what all the other colors meant what he did notice immediately is that the line in red was lower than any other line. He stood up and walked toward the screen, though he could not reach it as the plasma line tethered him to the wall. From where he stood he was close enough to see the results more clearly. He looked over the data not understanding the point of some of the lines that existed. He tried to view the legend that identified them, but the writing was too small to read clearly from where he stood. He turned and went back to the bed to lie down. Why were his powers being affected more than anyone else's? Jason stared up at the ceiling mulling the events of the last week over in his mind. He had been fine when he faced Goldar, and even seemed to have done well against Zedd's assault on Angel Grove, but since then? Since then, he had been having problems. What had changed? Josh had died. Was that somehow related? Was he dying now? He felt fine, other than his powers being weak. Beta entered the room and removed the IV from his arm sealing the hole with a beam from a hand held device. Jason got up from the bed and walked out of the Medical Bay, his Morpher still sitting on one of the tables.

Trip manifested his Chrono-Sabers as Goldar roared loudly causing a chill to run down his spine. Kimberly managed to fire off a single shot at Vexacus which the mercenary blocked with his wide blade. Goldar and Vexacus met the front of the Ranger's line while Scorpina leapt into the air and threw her sword at Tiberus and Vleks. Trip jumped to meet it, deflecting it with his sabers. Adam and Kimberly clashed with Vexacus, his cruel upward slash knocking their weapons from their hands and sending Adam to the floor, a jagged gash across the chest of his armor. Continuing through them he lashed out with his left arm sending Kimberly flying aside. Goldar slammed his shoulder into Billy who tried to strike at his armored torso with little affect. At the same time he hit Ashley's face plate with the butt of his sword sending a web of cracks radiating from the right side of the mask. Trip realized only too late that the enemy had run right through the Power Rangers with little interest in them. Goldar swung first decapitating Tiberus while kicking his body backward. Vexacus was less elegant as he ran Vleks through with his sword pinning his body to the instrument panel directly behind him. Vexacus spun kicking Vleks in the head smashing whatever bone structure was present tearing the head free from the body. He continued to rotate to face Trip who was now descending. In the chaos Circuit flew from the navigation panel he had been perched on and out the hole the Kimberly and Ashley made entering the bridge.

Shots illuminated the bridge as Billy had managed to grab his blaster and put several bursts of plasma into Vexacus who staggered as the rounds discharge onto his armored chest. Scorpina landed at the same time as Trip and launched an upward side kick into his jaw sending the Time Force Ranger flying back toward the corpses of his associates. Kimberly had taken advantage of the distractions and leapt for her Power Cycle, the chassis was coming around her, but not fast enough as Trip landed between Goldar and Vexacus.

Suddenly, from the shadows behind Trip a figure leapt out launching a split kick to the two warriors, the total surprise of the attack sending them off balance and falling to the ground. As he landed the warrior, whom Billy and Adam had seen before, grabbed Trip and sunk into the shadows with him. Kimberly was dazed for a moment at the appearance of this new warrior, could it be?

"Fire!" Billy shouted as he and the others rolled clear.

Kimberly was shocked back into the moment manifesting her bow and unleashing her unbridled fury at the three warriors. Multiple shots pierced through weak points in their armor. Vexacus rolled away as did Goldar; Scorpina, being too far from cover, teleported from the room. As the hail continued, keeping the two wounded beasts pinned down, Billy noticed Trip lying on the floor behind Kimberly with no sign of the unknown warrior. Billy tagged Adam and the two ran to his side.

"Are you okay?" Billy asked frantically.

"I think so…" Trip said a little dazed. "Not sure what happened."

"We need to get out of here," Billy said placing his hand on Trip and activating his teleport beacon. To his disappointment nothing happened. "Something's wrong."

"This is really draining!" Kimberly shouted over the raging torrent of her attack.

"Ashley, does your armor still work?" Billy asked.

"Partly," Ashley replied as she checked the transmitted readout on her HUD.

"Kimberly keep us covered, we have to make a run for it!" Billy shouted as he and Adam hoisted Trip up between them making a break for the hole in the forward windshield.

Ashley slid back into her armor and closed the chassis. Most of the controls were shot, but she managed to use the jets on the back to help her get herself upright as the battle armor hovered out through the shattered windshield.

"Kimberly!" Ashley shouted back as her Power Cycle reverted back to its original form landing on the front of the ship. "Let's go."

Kimberly began to move sideways continuing to shower the area in a storm of pink bolts. Ashley revved her cycle and sped off the front of the ship as Kimberly leapt out the window finally ceasing fire. The edge around the weapon opening was white hot, smoke rising off it in wisps.

Vexacus looked over at Goldar who was pulling one of the darts from his side, snarling slightly as the projectile tore free.

"This is Vexacus," he said activating his communicator. "We have the ship, but the Rangers have escaped with one of the occupants."

"This is Astronema," the response came in slightly distorted. "We are patching up Scorpina's wounds and sending you additional forces."

"Understood," Vexacus replied as he yanked one of the bolts from his forearm. It hurt more than he thought it would have.

Kimberly landed on the ground below the ship where Ashley was waiting on her bike as Billy and Adam were securing Trip on Billy's cycle.

"What's going on?" Kimberly asked.

"We can't teleport," Billy said. "I think Zedd has found a way to block it."

"So what's the plan?" Ashley asked.

"We're going to try and get out of the area of effect, assuming there is one, and see if we can teleport from there." Billy replied.

"We can't leave the ship," Trip said faintly.

"We'll be back for it," Billy assured him. "Right now we need to get out of here."

"Where's Circuit?" Trip asked.

"I don't know," Billy said looking around. "But we'll find him."

"What's wrong with him?" Kimberly asked.

"Not sure," Billy replied. "He's become very weak, but I don't know why."

"We should go." Adam said looking around.

"That's the best way," Billy said pointing away from the ship. "Toward Stone Canyon."

With no more debate the four cycles sped off into the night, the lights dimming, shrouding the bikes in darkness.

On the ship above Vexacus and Goldar watched them go. Vexacus activated his com.

"Astronema, the Rangers are fleeing north using some type of single man vehicles."

"This could work out better than we hoped then," Astronema's reply came. "Prepare to receive reinforcements."

Vexacus looked over at Goldar with a puzzled expression. Goldar shrugged as his wings unfurled and leapt from the ship making a controlled descent to the ground below. Vexacus followed landing in a crouch alongside Goldar. In a sweep of purple light Putties, Quantrons, and Tengas began to appear around them separated into squads by type at least fifty strong. Scorpina materialized in front of the Putties.

"Goldar you have the Tengas, Vexacus the Quantrons." Scorpina relayed.

"Great," Vexacus replied, his tone half annoyed.

"Tengas with me," Goldar growled as his massive wings propelled him upward. The Tengas followed stirring up a dust storm as they took to the sky.

Vexacus scanned the horizon the Rangers had disappeared toward, the optics mounted in his left eye whined as they adjusted. With his augmented vision he could make out buildings in the distance.

"You do what you want, I'm going to set a little trap," In a flash of dark energy Vexacus and his assigned minions transformed into a sphere of swirling darkness that streaked off into the night.

Scorpina watched it vanish wishing she had some way to cover ground quickly. Of course it wasn't like the Rangers were going to escape no matter how fast they could run away. Motioning to the Putties she began to sprint toward the ruins, the Putties following closely behind her.

Jason tried activating the com again, but got nothing but static. The first time he had assumed that there must have been some interference from the ship, but if they were still at the site there must be a problem.

"Beta, I can't reach the Rangers." Jason said.

Beta plugged into the terminal and began accessing the computer trying to establish contact. It was amazing that a machine like Beta was capable of even understanding Jason's vague request, but Billy had done a remarkable job with it, even if it wasn't anywhere near as advanced as Alpha.

"Unable to make contact." Beta announced.

"Why not?" Jason asked.

"Area protected with high powered multiphasic oscillating shield."

"Can you put that into English?" Jason asked.

"Unit is communicating in English." Beta replied.

"Can you put that in normal, non-scientific, common words?" Jason asked with a sigh.

"Area is protected by energy shielding of great power with several mixed layers of electro-magnetic frequency which are in a constant state of change."

Jason still wasn't sure what Beta was talking about, but it really didn't matter he supposed. All he knew was that some type of shield had been placed over the area cutting off communication.

"Can they be teleported out?"

"Negative, shielding has blocked all forms of electromagnetic translation."

"So that would be a no?"

"Affirmative."

At another time this might have been funny, but right now, without Billy to translate, talking to Beta was rather frustrating. But without him it would be difficult to use any of the controls since he hadn't had time to familiarize himself with any of it since he had come back.

"What is the source of the shield?" Jason asked already regretting the question.

"Dark Fortress."

"And where is the Dark Fortress?"

"Low, synchronized, orbit over Angel Grove."

"Any chance that the generator could be destroyed by a Zord on the ground?"

"Chance is too infinitesimal to calculate."

Jason sat back in one of the chairs. There was no way to shut down the shield without actually going to the Dark Fortress, at least not for him. Billy would certainly come up with some complicated device that could solve all their problems, but he didn't have Billy's mind, and he couldn't talk to him either. He looked up at the ceiling letting out a sigh. The only option seemed to be going to the Dark Fortress, but even if he could get there he was no match for Zedd's forces, he was too weak right now. Though, when he thought about it, there was no real indication that the Rangers were in trouble, but would he know if they were?

"Beta, can you bring up a visual on the Rangers?" Jason asked still looking upward.

"Negative, shield is blocking all electromagnetic translation."

"Can you even get a fix on their location?"

"Negative, shield is blocking all electromagnetic translation."

"Okay, I get it," Jason said a little annoyed at the repetition.

So there was no way to know what was going on inside the shield. So nothing he knew of needed to be done, yet in the back of his mind he couldn't shut out that silent whisper, that small voice that told him he needed to try. There was nothing he could do though, if he went out he would only fail again and cause more trouble for the team. It was better to wait and see if they could make contact. Unless?

"Beta can you find a way to get through the shielding?"

"Negative, unit cannot pass through shielding."

"I meant can you get a signal through?"

"Negative…"

Jason ignored the rest of Beta's explanation, it was hopeless, there was nothing he could do except wait.

The four bikes continued to speed over the desolate terrain leading into the ruins of what use to be downtown Stone Canyon. Billy had been scanning the area, but so far he had been unable to locate Circuit or find out anything useful about the shield that was over the area. Even short range transmission between the Rangers was full of static. Trip had stopped responding shortly after they began their retreat and Billy was fairly certain he was unconscious. The only good thing in all of this was that with the lack of combat the slow regenerative abilities of their armor had closed up the breaches and scaring from their pervious encounter.

"Hey Billy," Kimberly began, the com line full of distortion making her voice sound very washed out.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

"North," Billy replied quickly, trying to make sense of all the scrambled information the sensors were returning.

Ahead he could see the terrain becoming more uneven as they approached a less damaged area. While the blast had made Angel Grove fairly uniform Stone Canyon had taken considerably less damage resulting in a city that looked more like it had been the subject of a carpet bombing, though on a scale greater than any the world had ever seen.

"I think we should switch to all-terrain mode." Billy said.

The Rangers complied and switched their cycles over. The braces that held the wheels shifted outward separating the wheels while retracting slightly, the main body raised up giving the vehicles more clearance.

Billy could feel the minor shaking he had experienced lessen as the load was better distributed and shocks repositioned to better handle the uneven ground.

With a sudden flash the ground in front of Billy's ATV erupted in flames. He turned taking his vehicle only part way through fire. The other Rangers looked around frantically trying to discover the source to the attack.

Ashley suddenly noticed a mass of objects moving in the sky above, their forms barely perceivable against the clouded night sky.

"Look!" she said pointing up.

The other Rangers looked upward, but could see very little of what Ashley was pointing at. Kimberly wasn't even sure if she could see anything, but she was certain Ashley had seen something. Adam tried switching to a different visual mode, but he continued to get nothing but static and distorted images through infrared other visual spectrums.

"I can't see them, too much interference." Adam said.

Billy switched over to night vision, while there was still plenty of distortion in the background he was able to pick out figures against the sky appearing as little more than calm blobs among all the electromagnetic interference, but at least he could see something.

"You can see them using night vision." Billy said. "Though like all the other enhanced visual modes there is a lot of distortion."

"Whu' d' ve du." Kimberly asked, a sudden increase in distortion blurring her words nearly beyond recognition.

"Ve ne'd t' ge' to c'r." Billy said, the distortion cutting his last word off.

"Whu'?" Adam asked.

"C'vur." Billy repeated pointing at the mess of structures that were once downtown Stone Canyon.

The Rangers nodded and accelerated, heading into the rubble filled streets of Stone Canyon. Billy looked around for any suitable cover, though it seemed strange suddenly that the attack hadn't persisted, it was almost like they wanted them to take cover somewhere, but why? Were they so close to the barrier's edge that they had to be stopped? But then why not press the attack if they wanted them that badly? Something didn't make sense. Before Billy could continue his thought a barrage of energy bolts began raining down on the Rangers from above. Even as the Rangers veered away Billy could see the glint of metal in the windows of several of the damaged buildings that still lined the street.

"There!" Adam shouted pointing toward the exposed entrance to an underground parking structure.

With no time to argue the Rangers raced into the structure smashing through the crossing guard. Veering to the left and right the Rangers came to a stop and dismounted. Billy pulled Trip off the ATV and propped him against the vehicle. There was no doubt that he was no longer conscious, but his vitals were stable for the moment. It seemed odd that he had held his morphed form even while in such a state, he wasn't sure if that was something they had simply overcome in the future, or if it was some result of what had happened to him. Either way it was of little importance at the moment.

"Is everyone okay?" Billy asked bringing his blaster up while using his ATV as cover.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied propping her bow sideways.

"I'm good," Adam said.

"Me too," Ashley replied.

"How's Trip?' Kimberly asked.

"He's unconscious," Billy replied. "But otherwise he seems fine."

Suddenly it occurred to Billy that while they had been fired on several times not one shot had hit him, or his Power Cycle.

"Was anyone hit at all? Or your cycles?" Billy asked.

"No," Kimberly replied. Adam and Ashley shook their heads in response.

Billy was lost in thought for a moment. If they had wanted to they could have hit them, possibly even killed Trip in that last volley, they had the element of surprise on their side. So why did they restrain themselves? He knew that Zedd was toying with them, that much had been clear from the recent series of encounters with Zedd's Generals and the restraint they had shown in dealing with the Rangers. However, no such restraint had been used against these new arrivals, and it was obvious that they were still being pursued, presumably to get Trip, or was it that Zedd had finally decided it was 'time' to get rid of them? Still if that were the case why did it seem that they had been herded into this building? Or was he reading too much into this? Maybe it wasn't this building specifically; there had been other options, though this one had seemed the most logical. Still Goldar was not known for his careful planning, though he couldn't account for Scorpina or the new warrior Jason had met earlier that day.

"Something on your mind Billy?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm just concerned that our pursuers have an agenda beyond simply killing our new friend here." Billy replied. "Almost like they wanted us to come in here; or possibly just to seek cover somewhere."

"What would that get them?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "That's why it concerns me. They don't seem to have a reason for pinning us in, but with all the opportunities they've had to wound us it seems odd that they haven't."

"What if they're looking for something here?" Kimberly asked.

Billy hadn't considered that, could it be that Zedd's minions were trying to find something, or even secure something they had just discovered? What could be out here that was worth sparing Trip for the moment? It seemed inconceivable that Circuit was of greater value to them than Trip, unless there was something about Circuit he didn't know. Could they have found the Green Ranger's Morpher maybe, or the Power Coin? But then who was that guy on the Time Shadow? Billy had nearly forgotten about him in all the confusion, too much was going on and nothing seemed to add up. It was possible that guy was just a diversion, a ploy to make them think the Morpher was found, or that Josh was still alive maybe? But why? Billy shook the thoughts from his head, they needed to focus on getting out of here first, and that meant getting rid of the force field, and the only one who could do that was Jason.

A piece of concrete fell to the ground somewhere in the darkness behind them. The Rangers turned looking into the blackness. Billy and Ashley had brought their weapons around. Billy switched over to night vision, the monochrome wash working much better inside the structure, though it was apparent that the high power of the shield outside was still producing some interference. Billy could see several beings in the corner, their eyes appearing bright white through his display. Night vision always had a way of making things look creepier in the dark than not being able to see at all, still in this case it was better to know where the potential threat was. They looked human, but with Hephaestus around there was no telling if they were enemies or not, though they didn't appear to be moving like the animated corpses that the little imp used.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked a little nervous.

"Not sure," Billy replied. "They look like people."

"Who's there?" a voice came from the darkness. It sounded familiar to Adam somehow.

"We're the Power Rangers," Adam responded.

"Adam?" The voice replied.

Billy could see three people move from cover, a male and two females. They approached the Rangers slowly keeping their hands visible.

"Adam, is that you?" the voice asked again.

"Rocky?"

A light came from one of them, a small flashlight by the look of it. The three began to move toward Adam, they stopped short as the light gleamed off the jet black armor and the gloss surface of the vehicle behind him.

"Adam?" a female's voice asked puzzled by what she saw.

Adam put his blaster back in his holster and reached up slowly removing his helmet. There was a gasp and the flashlight fell to the ground causing the light to flicker for a moment.

"Do you know these guys?" Kimberly asked keeping an eye on the trio.

"I thought they were dead," Adam said.

Billy ejected a rod from the back compartment of his cycle and gave it a twist. The cylinder lit with a soft white glow giving light to the general area. The faces of three teens were illuminated. Their faces had a mixture of blood and dirt caked on, their clothes were torn and tattered; blood stains covered much of the fabric still left. Adam recognized them, Rocky, Aisha, and Shawna.

"Guys," Adam said pointing to each in turn. "This is Rocky, Aisha, and Shawna. The other Rangers here are kinda the group I've been hanging out with after school."

The three teens sat down on the ground near Adam not sure how to respond to what he had just told them.

"What happened?" Adam asked changing the subject.

Billy made a motion to Ashley to keep an eye on the door. Ashley nodded and turned her focus back toward the entrance.

"We were on our way back from the park when the sky lit up and the ground started shaking." Rocky began. "We came in here to find shelter. And after the explosion we've just been trying to survive."

"Why didn't you leave with one of the National Guard units?" Billy asked.

"We haven't seen any," Rocky said.

"If they came here the bugs probably got'em," Shawna said.

"Bugs?" Kimberly asked.

"Hundreds of them, all over this place," Shawna replied. "They ate the others."

"Others?" Billy asked.

"We weren't the only ones to find shelter around here." Aisha said. "There use to be more of us, but the bugs kept coming and dragging them away, down into the sewers."

"Why didn't you try to escape somewhere else?" Adam asked.

"We did," Rocky replied. "There was some kind of invisible barrier that kept us sealed in, we couldn't get out."

"And we weren't about to go down in the sewers to try and get out," Shawna added.

Billy could tell that they were suffering from shock even without the armor's biometric analysis. Their eyes were open wide, and it looked as if they hadn't slept in days. They were lucky to have survived, but it was just another puzzle piece that didn't fit, how was it that Adam's friends survived here when everyone else had been killed? Is this what they had been pushed to find?

Goldar landed on the exposed third floor of the building opposite where the Rangers were now in hiding. Vexacus stood back in the shadows watching the building as his Quantrons maintained their firing positions on the ledge. Goldar's Tengas had taken up positions all over the second and third floors of the building the Rangers were occupying, assuring there was no way to escape by going upward.

"How long until Scorpina arrives?" Vexacus asked.

"Not much longer," Goldar said in a rather gruff tone.

"I still don't see how they plan to pull this off," Vexacus said. "So we go in there and kill the last guy from that ship and then what? We just shut down the shield and let them go? They're going to be suspicious of those three."

"That's the idea," Goldar snarled. "Lord Zedd has left those three alive for just such an opportunity, he wants the Rangers to suspect them, it will tear them apart, cause them to see enemies everywhere."

Vexacus was surprised to hear a thought like that from Goldar. Maybe he did have more of a brain than he had originally given him credit for. Still, it was odd, all this trouble to let three humans who were friends of one of the Rangers to be reunited? He wasn't buying it, there had to be more to Zedd's plan than just to generate paranoia. Or was he so confident that he would win that he wanted to make it that much more painful for them? He mused for a moment; it would be funny if they actually got so paranoid that they killed one of them. He laughed to himself at the thought. More interesting though was the appearance of the other Ranger back on the ship. He looked like the Green Ranger, at least in form, but the abilities he had displayed were different from what he had been told. Still he didn't plan on being the one to report such a thing to Zedd, let him hear the facts from someone else and draw whatever conclusion he wanted.

Billy's mind was elsewhere while the three teens continued to talk about the horrors they had seen since the attack on Angel Grove. There was no doubt in Billy's mind that what they encountered was the same insect race that they had dealt with in Africa, which meant that they were still in the service of Zedd. Why these creatures were running loose in the sewers around this area, and why Adam's friends had been the only survivors didn't sit well with him however, it was too convenient; of course Adam was not likely to see it that way. Still his priority had to be to get a message to Jason. He was certain that if Zedd really did have plans for these three that they would escape after Trip was killed, or maybe only one or two of Adam's friends would survive. However, it was unthinkable to allow Zedd to kill anyone just to help support a theory. He would have to keep his eyes opened though, it seemed that there were plenty of mysteries appearing and it was hard to believe that it wasn't all being orchestrated by Zedd and his Generals. Still something didn't feel right when it came to that other Ranger, he was very helpful and had even saved Trip, if he was working for Zedd it was a clever rouse, and one that could cost Zedd dearly, still if he was really against Zedd that left only two possibilities, either Josh was alive somehow, or there was a third party in this twisted web that had become their reality.

As his mind continued to wander through the possibilities he pulled a small device from his ATV. Removing a cable from the device he plugged it into his communicator and then activated his com.

"Jason, we're trapped, we need you to find the source of the shield over us and destroy it or people are going to die." Billy spoke calmly into the device.

The others stopped and looked at him. Adam's friends seemed more horrified with Billy's statement than inquisitive.

"Did you get through to Jason?" Ashley asked.

"Not yet," Billy replied as he disconnected the device from his communicator. "Kimberly I need you to cover me."

"Okay, but what for?" Kimberly asked getting up.

"This thing is essentially a communications flare," Billy said holding up the device. "I just need to be able to get a clear shot at the sky. The shell should be able to break through the barrier and will then use a nano-wave pulse to transmit the encrypted message to the Command Center."

"Whatever you said sounds good to me," Kimberly said. "Just tell me what to do."

The two of them approached the entrance to the parking garage on either side of the entrance. Billy was looking out at the overhang that the building had. The real problem was the way in and out was a narrow corridor descending from street level with no cover once you stepped out. To make matters worse the buildings were still high enough that he would effectively have to shoot straight up and there was no telling how far up this shield extended, he was pretty sure that the projectile could clear the troposphere and get into the low stratosphere. However, if this shield was being projected from the Dark Fortress, which was about ninety percent likely, then there was no telling how far upward it extended. Hopefully Beta would have data on it when he got back so he could devise a better countermeasure. Billy carefully looked around the corner scanning the building across the street. He could see that there were several Quantrons on the upper levels watching the entrance. As he leaned back he considered something he hadn't before, could it be that the Quantrons were also having trouble targeting because of the shield, was it possible Zedd was using it recklessly without having a countermeasure for his own forces? Maybe that's why the Quantrons had been unable to hit them earlier? Focus Billy, stop getting distracted.

"Kimberly, when I say 'go' I want you to fire a spread of arrows into the building opposite us, just long enough to distract the Quantrons while I fire the shield-breaker shell."

Kimberly nodded in acknowledgement and drew back her bow, the bolt of pink energy manifesting.

"Go!" Billy shouted as he ran out on to the street.

Kimberly let a barrage of shots go, though it paled in comparison to the massed fire she was able to achieve using her battle armor, but the armor wouldn't have allowed Billy to move through the entrance to the parking structure very easily. Billy dropped to his knees sliding forward as he aimed the device skyward, the box like structure held in his hand like a television remote, but with a finger hole containing the trigger. Pulling back he felt the device shake venting an explosive charge out the sides nearly tearing the launch frame apart as the rocket propelled shell was accelerated to mach ten in moments. Without a moment to spare Billy scrambled to his feet and dove back inside the parking garage as a hail of energy came pulsing forth from the other building. As Billy landed inside the structure he rolled to one side getting out of the line of fire.

"So did it work?" Kimberly asked.

"I hope so," Billy replied.

"Transmission received," Beta intoned.

"What transmission?" Jason asked.

Beta's roaming eye changed from red to green for a moment as the message played. "Jason, we're trapped, we need you to find the source of the shield over us and destroy it or people are going to die." The message complete Beta's eye reverted to red.

Jason rose to his feet and paced the room for a moment as he contemplated Billy's message. He already knew he couldn't send a reply and didn't want to hear Beta tell him so again. People were going to die? He had to do something, but he would fail again. He had lost his strength, there was nothing he could do, people where going to die and there was nothing he could do! In frustration he slammed his hands on the console and closed his eyes.

When they opened he was standing on the top of a mountain. Below him the rock descended into the clouds shrouding all else below. Looking out he saw nothing but a sea of clouds and blue sky. The sun sat on the horizon beaming in a brilliant red. As he looked out toward the sun Jason saw a man sitting on one of the rocks facing out toward the sun, his back to Jason. Intrigued Jason walked down to where the man was sitting, though there was something familiar about him. As he came closer he was filled with a sense of recognition.

"Dad?" Jason said in disbelief.

"Jason," his Father said standing and giving him a hug.

Jason locked his arms around his Father not entirely sure what was happening. The two let go stepping back slightly.

"I don't understand this," Jason said. "I thought you were dead."

"I am," his Father replied. "But no matter where you go I'll always be a part of you son."

"So is this a dream?" Jason asked.

"Not exactly," his Father replied. "What this is isn't important though. You are what's important right now son, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I mean, what's going on with you that you're so lost right now? You've never been like this before."

"Do you know," Jason asked his voice shaky. "You know I'm the Red Ranger?"

"Of course," his Father replied with a smile.

"But how?"

"That's not important, what's important is how you're doing."

"Not well Dad," Jason said sinking down to sit on a large rock. "I was suppose to be this big deal. One of my friends came to get me and bring me back to life so I could lead the other Power Ranger's to victory and save the Earth and lately all I'm doing is letting people down."

"How have you let anyone down son?"

"People have died because of me," Jason said his eyes glistening slightly. "Because I wasn't strong enough to save them! Everyone is going to die because I'm not strong enough."

Jason's Dad placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "That's not true,"

"Yes it is!" Jason insisted. "I should have been able to stop them, I had the power and I failed to save those people, they're all dead because of me!"

"Do you hear yourself?"

Jason paused for a moment.

"I didn't raise you to be a quitter." He said softening his voice. "But that's exactly what you're doing, you're giving up because the responsibility is too much."

"I can't save the world Dad!" Jason blurted out angrily. "I can't save everyone!"

"No one ever asked that of you. You were chosen to lead the others to victory at any cost, to stop evil!" he said forcefully. "You took it upon yourself to make the lives of everyone your responsibility. You placed that burden on yourself!"

Jason knew in that moment that his Dad was right. Josh had never said he had to protect, or that he would be able to save the lives of, everyone. Josh had told him that he was the only one who could lead the Rangers through this time of darkness.

"You can't make the evil created by others your fault." His Father said, his voice becoming soft again. "And you can't force anyone to change, all you can do is stand for what is right and defend those who are powerless to defend themselves the best you can."

As he said this Jason could feel the weight lift off of him. He couldn't save everyone; all he could do was his best.

Jason's head snapped up, a fierce look was in his eyes.

"Beta, notify Billy and the others the instant that shield is down." He said storming into the Medical Bay and snatching his Morpher off the table. No more running. He thrust the Morpher in front of him.

"Tyrannosaurus!" his shout echoed in the small room shaking the tables as the Morpher opened releasing a flood of crackling red energy. His armor fell into place covering his body and transforming his physique.

Suddenly something happened, the inner track of the Morpher closed back down and rotated around the Power Coin. The Morpher split open again, though this time vertically causing power to radiated from all four sides of the Morpher. His armor began to change; the white parts began to change to gold. The shape of his visor began to shift into a jagged form like the mouth of a beast. His armor closed over the liquid metal around his mouth. A series of gold armored ribs rose running in arcs over his shoulders from the diamond in the center of his chest to converge between the two diamond shapes on the back of his armor. His hands changed into taloned claws with gauntlets forming on the length of his forearms. His feet transformed in a similar fashion widening until they resembled the clawed feet of a Tyrannosaurus. At last the Morpher vanished from his hands appearing on his belt as the coin insignia appeared on his chest.

Jason felt overwhelmed for a moment; the power that he felt flowing through him was unbelievable. He caught his reflection in one of the display surfaces.

"Whoa," was all that managed to escape his lips.

With no further delay Jason activated his teleporter beacon and vanished from the Command Center.

"Empress, we have an incoming Power Ranger," Ecliptor said monitoring the Red Ranger's power signature.

"Raise the shields," Astronema ordered

"I can't!" Ecliptor exclaimed as the blaze of red energy collided with the Dark Fortress.

"What is going on?" Astronema asked. "Bring up the engine room!"

"Yes Empress," Ecliptor replied bringing the main station terminal up on the screen.

As the image came into focus Astronema was confronted by the silhouette of the Green Ranger, the rest of the room behind him was dark except for a quick flash from some exposed wiring that lit the room for a moment in a shower of sparks. The room went dark again. Then in another flash the room was empty as the sparks rained down. She closed the com line.

"What is the status of the containment shield below?" Astronema questioned still shaken by what she had just witnessed. Could that have really been the Green Ranger? Was he still alive? Either way Lord Zedd was not going to be pleased. She was so lost in thought she did not even here Ecliptor's reply.

"Empress!" Ecliptor shouted bringing her back to reality.

"Yes?"

"The containment shield is still holding. It looks like that intruder only disabled the fortress shields."

He let the Red Ranger in? He could have saved his friends as well, couldn't he?

"Shall I deal with the Red Ranger my Empress?"

"No," Astronema said. "Leave him to me."

With no further word she stormed off the bridge.

On the streets below Scorpina arrived with her Putties. As the stone golems spread out checking for any other way in or out of the building Scorpina leapt to the ledge where Goldar and Vexacus stood. Goldar was pacing impatiently while Vexacus stood still as stone, his arms folded across his chest watching the entrance to the hole the Rangers were hiding in.

"It's about time you got here," Goldar snarled, his annoyance at having been deprived blood shed for so long apparent.

"Maybe next time you should think about that before you leave me behind," Scorpina snapped.

Vexacus still stood unflinching, watching the tunnel. His optics whirled trying to get a fix on the Rangers, but this interference from the shield was too much, even with the upgrade that Astronema had made to his optics. At least he could be certain the Rangers hadn't been able to overcome it, though that weapon the Blue Ranger had discharged concerned him. It was obvious that it wasn't meant to deal damage to him or the others, yet it hadn't brought down the shield, but was it meant to? Regardless, with Scorpina present they needed to complete their objective quickly or they would be answering to Zedd.

"Let's just finish this job and go," Vexacus said.

"I agree," Goldar replied.

"Take your Tengas in through the first floor using the elevator shaft or stairs. Scorpina, you and I will go in the front."

"You do not give the orders here," Goldar growled.

"Do you have a better idea?" Vexacus asked smugly.

Goldar caught Vexacus with a right hook sending the mercenary to the ground. He looked up to see Goldar standing over him, sword drawn baring his teeth in a wicked smile.

"I may not have a better plan, but you better learn your place worm!" he snarled.

"My apologies," Vexacus replied with false humility.

As Vexacus rose to his feet Goldar stepped to the ledge and let out a loud roar. Vexacus couldn't help but think what a foolish thing it was to let them know they were coming, but stupidity must be common among Zedd's Generals, all the better for him to rise to power quickly. In a burst of dark energy he and his Quantrons vanished from the ledge and appeared on the street below.

No sooner had Jason emerged in the corridor than the gun fire began as Quantrons had been alerted to the intrusion. Bolts of charged particles were deflected off Jason's armor as he looked both ways to find himself surrounded. Didn't matter which way the shield generator was, he wasn't going anywhere at the moment. His arms rose facing either direction of the corridor, with a noise like a low bass burst the Quantrons flew back, away from Jason as if they had been struck by some invisible hand, their armor cracking and sparking as their internal mechanisms failed under the force of the attack. Jason checked his location against the map on his HUD and proceeded down the corridor stepping over the wreckage left in his wake of his new power.

The heavy door at the end of the corridor was motionless at his approach and the blaring alarms left him little reason to believe that the entire fortress had not been locked down. It was time to see how much power he had gained. He drew back his right arm and slammed his taloned first into the door. To his surprise the door buckled significantly. He threw another punch with his left sending the mangled door sailing into the room beyond. Several Quantrons were crushed as the door flew into the room and landing on them as it skidded to a halt.

Jason stood looking into the room, a security check point on the fortress designed to create a choke point in the event of an attack, it was the only way into the core. A full detachment of Quantrons stood ready, some with large curved blades the rest with particle rifles. Jason put his arms down to his sides forcefully, three blades extending from his gauntlets, one on the top, the other two angled below creating a triangular shape around his arms. The Quantrons began to surge forward; Jason charged in to meet them.

The first Quantron came down with his blade, but Jason caught it between his own and twisted his arm breaking the weapon before plunging the opposite set of blades through the Quantron's chest. He pulled back and caught two more that had moved out to his sides decapitating them in a shower of sparks. Leaping from the ground he threw a flying roundhouse kick sending several more flying into the wall, their bodies torn asunder by the force of the attack.

A volley of fire came from the line of Quantrons that held the rear of the security room. Jason grabbed another of the Quantrons and used it as a shield, the automaton melting to slag in the wash of super charged particles. Blades retracting Jason stepped out thrusting both palms forward sending a shockwave through the room smashing the Quantrons into the far wall. As the last of the mechanical guards fell to the ground Jason began to move toward the door on the opposite side of the check point, the twitching, sparking husks of his attackers lining the periphery.

He was prepared to smash through it, but to his surprise it opened as a burst of energy like directed lighting arced from the doorway. Jason jumped back and fell into his fighting stance. A warrior in a dark suit of armor stepped through the door glaring at him with pale yellow eyes. Tendrils like hair ran from the head, though they seemed to have a life all their own. The warrior carried a doubled ended spear in one hand and twirled it menacingly as she stepped through the door.

"This is as far as you go Red Ranger," Astronema said the thick bulkhead closing behind her.

"We'll see," Jason replied.

Astronema smiled behind her mask, this fool didn't realize that by coming here she was freed from Lord Zedd's edict of restraint, she was free to kill this one, and she was going to enjoy it.

The ground shook with the combine footfalls of the Quantrons and Putties as they charged the parking garage. There was a flash of white as some form of distortion grenade detonated forcing the Rangers to switch out of night vision. Then like a swarm of insects the warriors came storming into the garage. The instant the first of them crossed through the entrance a spray of red plasma and pink bolts flew from behind the wall created by the Ranger's Power Cycles. The darkness, combined with inability to use enhanced targeting, was giving the enemy an edge. Sparks provided some illumination as the bolts hit Quantron limbs or glanced off the granite bodies of the Putties; these moments giving enough light to get a better shot in, though it was doing little to stem the flood of warriors that were rapidly closing the distance between them.

Kimberly looked over, Trip was still unconscious. Even without Goldar and Scorpina, or that other guy it was possible that these forces alone would succeed in killing him. There was little room overhead; the clearance had been even further reduced by the collapse of duct work and piping that had torn loose in the attack. Still, if she could get through the transformation process she should be okay. Kimberly let loose with several shots as she leapt onto her cycle and initiated the transformation sequence. The cycle spun her around and began forming over her. The wheel braces tore some duct work loose, the pieces clattering to the floor behind her, as the change completed. Kimberly took a knee in the giant armor, her standing statue now nearly two meters, a huge difference to her small frame. There was a loud howl as pink light washed over the area and a storm of shimmering magenta darts flew into the horde of warriors.

"Get to the other side!" Adam shouted to his friends directing them to Trip.

The three ran behind Kimberly and huddled around Trip between Billy and Ashley.

Several Putties crumbled in a haze of embers and burning stone as arrows hit dead center. With so much light now being generated the task of hitting their opponents was much easier.

As Putty and Quantron alike continued to fall faster than they could advance Billy suddenly had a horrible thought enter his mind. They had been attacked from the sky also, Putties and Quantrons couldn't fly, but those things Adam and Ashley had mentioned, Tengas, could. Billy turned in time to see the first of some form of winged beasts enter through the stairwell. They entered into the garage on all fours, their wings tucked back, Billy couldn't help but think they looked a little like the Griffin of ancient cultures, though not close enough to confuse the two.

"Behind us!" Billy shouted as he opened fire on the first of the Tengas.

The Tengas let out a screech as two sprung forward, their wings opening slightly to give them an extra burst of speed. The three teens, who were huddled around Trip, screamed, covering their heads. Adam leapt onto his bike and transformed. Billy's first shot pierced through the wing of the Tenga doing little more that burning up feathers.

Billy suddenly saw something that had not been reported to him, dark obsidian armor around the torso of the Tenga, probably designed to prevent damage from weapons. Though it was possible it had gone unnoticed as it was nearly the same color and texture as their feathers. Billy dropped his blaster and leapt into the Tenga manifesting his weapons. Even as the two collided Billy was trying to figure out if he had sufficient mass and speed to overcome the Tenga's momentum. He knew birds tended to be lighter in weight, but these weren't normal birds, and taking in to account the armor… His thought process ended as the two of them tumbled to the ground nearly where they had met.

Adam had moved between the Tengas and the others leaving Ashley boxed in between Adam and the ATVs. The other Tenga stopped its advance and leapt up into the ducting and pipes that still ran along the ceiling.

Billy grappled with the first Tenga trying to get one of his lances free, but the creature had a firm grip on both of his arms making it difficult to struggle. The Tenga thrust its head forward trying to skewer Billy with its beak. Billy however, was still able to move his head enough to avoid the strike, though he knew it was not likely that a single strike would break through his armor.

Kimberly turned toward the new threat as the last Putty crumbled into flaming cinders. She could see what was going on, but was unable to get a clear shot around Adam. Normally she wouldn't have hesitated to open fire, her Ranger enhanced abilities would have made it easy to shoot around Adam, but with all the interference she had little confidence in her abilities as even her normal mode of vision was distorted slightly like a television with bad reception.

"Ashley, keep an eye on the main entrance," Kimberly said as she moved forward trying to get a better angle.

"Right," Ashley replied stretching her arms over the ATV keeping her blaster fixed on the opening.

Adam watched as more Tengas continued to flood into the parking structure, though instead of attacking they quickly scurried up into the mess of piping and duct work overhead like rats. Adam could hear a clicking sound, not like an insect, more human like. He tried to analyze it, but with the distortion all the armor systems could conclude was that it was some form of communication. Either way it gave Adam chills. Slowly the large axe blade slid out of his armored gauntlet. There was little he could do for Billy at the moment, but the other Tengas seemed to be preparing for something, and that he could prevent. The clicking continued; it was hard to pinpoint a location as the sound echoed on the garage walls.

Kimberly opened fire on the entry way disrupting Adam's concentration; he jumped slightly as the scream of pink bolts ripped through the dark room. Two Tengas leapt from the line of fire clambering into the cover above.

Billy managed to roll onto his back and pull his legs up placing his feet on the Tenga's chest. With a burst of strength Billy launched the Tenga upward into the stream of pink darts. One punched through the Tengas neck, several more pierced the side of the armor and stuck. The Tenga still held Billy's arms and as it was struck it began to roll taking Billy into the air and into the stream of fire. Kimberly saw it coming and held her fire, but a moment too late. A single bolt pierced through the back of Billy's left shoulder tearing clean through and deflecting off the Tenga's chest plate planting the blazing dart into the ground.

The two fell to the ground, the Tenga thrashed wildly as blood hemorrhaged from the wound in its neck. With a final convulsion the beast collapsed. Billy lay on the ground gripping his shoulder, his teeth gritted, tense breaths forced between them; His lances were lying on the ground next to his body. Then Adam heard it, more clicks. As if by instinct he stepped forward and swung his axe in an arc over Billy as several Tengas descended on him. The razor blade edge of the weapon cleaved one of the wings from a Tenga and sent the warrior tumbling into others. The screeching mass of feathers and claws tumbled into the darkness.

Kimberly let loose with another volley of arrows in the direction of the Tengas. There was a flutter from the darkness, a rushing of wings, as the others fled leaving the wounded Tenga to be skewered by burning shafts of fuchsia. The Tenga fell forward, dead, the light of the darts that riddled its back fading into the darkness.

Adam was already pulling Billy back to cover, the mechanized hand of his battle armor gripping his right arm as lightly as possible. The lances vanished from the garage floor in a burst of blue, the light dispersing like sand grains into darkness.

"Uh guys?" Ashley said, her body beginning to tremble.

Kimberly turned in time to see Scorpina and the shark warrior enter the garage. The shark dropped a device in the entry way as he and Scorpina broke for cover behind support pillars on opposite sides of the garage. No sooner had they vanished than the entire garage lit red as the device on the ground detonated sealing the entrance. Adam couldn't help but have his attention drawn away by the blast. The roof shook raining dust and small chips of concrete that trickled on their armor.

Suddenly there was another explosion at the entrance the Tengas had come from. Adam caught only a glimpse of Goldar as he vanished into the darkness, the fire from the explosion fading into black smoke.

"We just want the new Ranger," Goldar's voice echoed through the darkness. "If you let us have him you can go."

"Get me to my Power Cycle," Billy forced the whisper from his lips.

Adam helped Billy get to his feet and onto the bike while Kimberly kept guard. Ashley dragged Trip over to her bike while motioning to the teens, who were all shaking, to follow her.

"It's okay," she said trying to be reassuring. "They don't want you they're just after him, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Shawna let out a small squeak-like noise and nodding indicating she understood. Billy's bike transformed around him; the arm harness immediately taking pressure off his arm making it feel much better. Though he knew he would have to fight through the pain if he was going to be of much use.

"Switch back to night vision if you haven't already," Billy said over the com which was working much better in the enclosed environment the thick concrete shielding their equipment against some of the shield effects.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked; the regret in her voice obvious.

"Yeah," Billy said. "It wasn't your fault, so don't go blaming yourself."

"Okay," she replied feeling some relief to hear Billy say the words.

"How many we got?" Billy asked.

"Two came in the front," Ashley said.

"Goldar came in the back," Adam said.

Scanning around Kimberly could see very little even with the night vision, while the distortion had decreased since reaching the garage it was still present and made it difficult to pick movement out from the shifting image on her HUD. Above her she could hear constant clicking noises that she assumed were made by the Tengas, though they sounded more like calls than movement. Every once in a while she would catch site of one of the beasts, its eyes glowing a ghostly white, but before she could fire it was gone. She hadn't seen any of Zedd's Generals. While she was certain that they were working on some kind of plan the waiting was getting to her. Though looking at the chronometer on her HUD, barely a minute had passed.

"Just remember guys," Billy's voice came through again. "They just want Trip; I think they're under orders not to kill us right now. So stand your ground and don't let them just push through you."

"How sure are you?" Adam asked.

"About ninety-nine percent." Billy replied.

"Why only ninety-nine?" Ashley asked.

"Always room for error."

"I wish they'd just attack already," Adam said.

"That's why their not," Billy replied. "They're waiting, trying to get us on edge, trying to let the terror of the situation get to us, just stay calm."

Adam knew Billy was right, but that didn't make it any better. Three of Zedd's Generals were out there in the dark, hiding amongst the smashed cars and rubble. Then there was the constant clicking from above as the Tengas moved around silent as the wind. Suddenly the silence was broken. Rocky began coughing.

"Rocky what's wrong?" Adam asked.

"The air in here," Rocky said pulling his shirt over his mouth. "It's getting thick with smoke."

Aisha and Shawna followed suit and covered their mouths. This was bad, Billy hadn't considered that. With the garage sealed and the explosions that had gone off the fire on the inside of the building had burned off a portion of the oxygen and had created smoke which, depending on what kind of devices they had used to seal the parking garage, could be toxic. That would do little to harm the Rangers, but Adam's friends didn't have armor with air purifiers, and there wasn't anything like that on the cycles. Still the duct work in this place should be helping clear the air, unless the vents had been sealed by structural collapse on the upper levels. There were upper levels though. The smoke should rise if it had somewhere to go.

"Cover me," Billy said stepping out from the group.

His enhanced lances flashed from his gauntlets with a quick crackle of electricity and the sound of metal on metal. In a swift movement Billy leapt, the turbines on his shoulder braces igniting bright white as he thrust both his lances into the ceiling slashing through pipes, duct work, rebar and concrete. He dropped back down amid a shower of dust and rubble. Water rained down on him from the damaged pipes, Billy realized at that moment that he had given no consideration to the fact that those pipes might have been carrying gas. He couldn't afford to make another error like that.

"So you've bought a little more time for those pieces of refuse you found," Vexacus said, the echo allowing no help in tracing his location. "They'll die too unless you give us what we want."

"Just accept Lord Zedd's will and hand him over," Scorpina said. "There's no reason for more people to die than need be, not that I mind." She laughed casually.

Were they stalling for some reason? Billy couldn't figure it out. If they were, what were they setting up for? Billy felt a tremor in the ground. The bugs! He had forgotten about the bugs!

"Guys stay alert. We may also have to deal with those giant insects we faced the other day!" Billy shouted into the com.

The ground around the Rangers burst open as large insects like millipedes snaked out of the ground. The ground around the bugs had been eroded somehow and was now little more than a black viscous goo. A series of scythed limbs unfurled, four on each side of the creatures' upper bodies. Twin sets of needle like mandibles unfolded from their mouths revealing a half sphere-like protrusion which unfolded in three parts revealing the mouth and barbed tendrils that lashed out as the creature let out a shriek.

"Ew," Kimberly voiced her disgust.

Rocky, Aisha, and Shawna clutched their head tightly trying to shield their ears against the horrid sound. Aisha screamed with terror. Even without sight they recognized these monsters. Billy was certain these were the same things that had gotten everyone else. Without time to further contemplate the situation Billy stabbed the closest insect with his lance piercing through the soft chitin of the belly. The tendrils wrapped around his arm, the barbs finding no soft flesh in which to embed, still they secreted a milky white fluid as they entangled the arm. Billy tore the creature in half bringing his lance back to sever the tendrils wrapped around his arm, pulling them free he could see bare metal, the black coating, a molecular paint, had been stripped away.

"Watch it, these things have some kind of corrosive fluid." Billy warned.

"Just when you think they can't get any grosser," Kimberly remarked as she continued to fire at the wall of insects that seemed to ceaselessly pour upward into the garage.

Adam cleaved the upper body of one in half, the head and torso splitting open. Even as he hacked at another and fired several rounds from his blaster he was already feeling defeated. There were just so many! It was like the night all the Putties had covered Angel Grove, only this time Josh wasn't going to be showing up to save the day, and who knew if Jason was having any luck taking down the shield generator, or if he had gotten the message at all. A scream broke his thoughts. Shawna had scrambled behind the others as Ashley bisected the upper body of one of the creatures with her daggers mere feet from them. The scythe-like limbs still twitching as the body fell to the ground. He suddenly realized that his friends were here, he thought he had lost everyone and right here, at this moment he had three of his best friends and the only thing between them and the nightmare they had spent a week fighting against was him.

Adam moved forward into the sea of bugs that seemed to have sprung up in moments. With a blaze of deep purple light the blade of his axe extended down the length of the suit's forearm. With a sweeping motion like a backhand Adam cleaved through several of the bugs and opened fire with his blaster in the opposite direction. Seeing him away from the group the millipedes began to swarm over him their limbs flailing wildly trying to pierce his armored body, but doing little more than putting small holes in the thick plate.

"Adam!" Ashley screamed as the mass of bugs finally pulled him under, the glow of his armor vanishing under the crawling darkness.

Kimberly and Billy moved to cover the void left in the defense by Adam. Billy continued to fight hard slashing at every insect that approached and stomping on the heads of any that were foolish enough to try and squirm past him. Kimberly was doing all she could to keep the hordes of insects back, though the more she killed the harder it got to tell what was still alive and what wasn't.

Suddenly there was a burst of fire from the swarm of insects as Adam throttled up his turbines up for a moment. Bugs began to sizzle and pop as their internal fluids were flash fried. A howling shriek went up from the mass of insects as they fled from the battle armor.

Billy, inspired by Adam's actions turned his back to the insects and knelt thrusting his lances into the ground like anchors, leaning forward he throttled his turbines to maximum sending a wave of superheated gas into the advancing insects igniting the front most of the creatures. With a shriek the insects began to fall away burrowing back into the ground.

"That's once threat down," Billy said.

"Not the smartest thing you've ever tried," Ashley teased as Adam moved to rejoin the defensive circle.

"I'll take dumb luck over nothing any day," Billy remarked.

"Hey," Adam said defensively, "I gave that plan some thought before I tried it."

"Before the bugs were on top of you?" Ashley asked.

"No," Adam replied sheepishly.

Ashley turned to the three teens who were huddled together shaking uncontrollably with fear. "It's okay now," she said placing a hand on Aisha's shoulder. "They're gone."

Aisha jumped at her touch. "We have to get out of here, we're all going to die," she cried hysterically.

"Give them some tranquilizers," Billy said quietly into the com. "If they freak out and try and run it will make it harder to keep them safe."

Ashley reached into the first aid box and pulled out three of the six tranquilizer pens. Using her enhanced reflexes she quickly injected Aisha and Shawna sedating them before they could even utter a word. Ashley dropped both pens and grabbed the third.

"What are you..?" was all Rocky managed to say before Ashley plunged the needle into his arm rendering him unconscious.

"This nightmare will be over soon guys," Adam said softly.

"Heads up!" Kimberly shouted as Tengas began to drop from above.

The avian warriors were quick to grab hold of the Ranger's mechanized arms, their agility allowing them to maintain their grip no matter how the Rangers tried to shake them. The Tengas seemed to content to hold them and were doing little to attack the battle suits. Though it would have done little good, so why this sudden attack Billy wondered?

Before he could draw the obvious conclusion the Tengas vanished upward as charging figures tackled the battle suits. They had been a smoke screen, simply a diversion to allow the others to close the gap across the garage, it was so obvious now, though with Goldar's blade pressed against his chest as the two toppled to the ground it didn't really seem important anymore.

Vexacus had knocked Kimberly down. As they fell he pulled a dagger from his belt and thrust it into the right side of the mechanized suit. Kimberly felt the blade slide into her waist, though not very deep thanks to the armor. She gritted her teeth swinging the right arm around punching Vexacus in his side. The warrior grunted as the force of her attack cracked several of his ribs.

Scorpina crashed into Adam's armor gripping the trunk of his head piece and putting a knee to the chest of his battle suit sending it over backward. As they toppled over Scorpina raked her weapon across the face of the Mastodon shorting out the optics and destroying other electronics. Adam jettisoned the head piece. As it launched forward Scorpina tried to dodge it, but the suddenness of the strike had caught her off guard and one of the tusks cut a gash into her right arm.

Billy wrapped his arms around Goldar in a bear hug determined not to let him get past. As he squeezed he could feel the pain from his own wound pulse. Ashley rotated her head back and forth trying to keep the three attackers all in view while standing over the unconscious bodies of Adam's friends and the strange Ranger from the future.

Hitting the ground Kimberly struck at Vexacus again, but this time the mercenary was prepared. Pulling his dagger Vexacus managed to bring it around in time to plunge it into the armored fist. While Kimberly's real hand was in the upper arm, safe from harm, it gave Vexacus enough control to redirect and slow her punch, as he did so Vexacus managed to roll with the force without further damage. He rolled off the left side of the armor pulling his dagger and drawing his massive sword with one hand as he sheathed his dagger with the other. As Kimberly came to her feet he slashed at the left arm taking it off at the elbow joint. The robotic limb fell limply to the ground rendering her bow unusable. The battle suit fell into a low fighting stance as Kimberly prepared for her only alternative.

Scorpina rolled to the ground clutching her right arm. Adam charged bringing his axe down, but Scorpina gathered herself and rolled out of the way, the massive blade embedding into the concrete floor. Coming out of her roll she sprung to her feet and tore a gash up the chest plate of Adam's armor. Warning lights on the HUD indicated that power had been disrupted to the blaster in his left arm and control to the turbines had been lost. Adam brought his left arm in trying to catch Scorpina between it and his immobile right arm. Scorpina leapt up trying to get over Adam, but found that one of the turbine braces was in her path. As she caught hold of it to stop herself Adam twisted and fell on his right side nearly crushing her arm between the brace and the floor, but she managed to kick back enough to avoid it sliding a few feet back from Adam's downed armor.

Billy continued to squeeze Goldar, the whine of metal on metal increasing as both Billy's and Goldar's chest plates ground together collapsing slowly under the pressure. Goldar struggled to get his sword free, but was unable as the armor was keeping him pinned. With no other recourse Goldar pulled his head back and slammed it into Billy's head piece. The sharp point of Goldar's helmet did considerable damage, smashing in the armor like a dull axe. The impact jarred Billy's optics, but even through the scrambled image Billy could see Goldar's head reel back, blood running from his forehead. Goldar struck again caving the Triceratops face plate in further. Billy's visuals went fuzzy. He jettisoned the plate hoping to smack Goldar, but Goldar had tucked his head into Billy's chest when he had heard the click from inside the helmet. Even in his state of blind fury his instincts were incredible. The horns on the face plate stuck into a metal duct on the ceiling above. Billy released his hold on Goldar realizing that his own head would not fair as well as the battle suit's had if Goldar had the strength to continue his attack. No sooner had Billy released him than the beast swung his sword taking half the left forearm from his battle armor. Billy attempted to attack Goldar with the right arm, but in his rage the winged warrior seized the lance below the blades and rolled onto the arm holding it to the ground. Then, with a sense of finality, drove his sword into the forearm down to the hilt pinning Billy's arm to ground. Goldar rose. Leaning toward Billy he roared his defiance at the Blue Ranger.

Ashley wasn't sure what to do, there was nothing between Goldar and his objective except her, Adam was down and Kimberly was in a standoff with the third warrior. At that moment there was a screech, a rather synthetic one, unlike the Tengas. A metallic blue object swooped in through the hole Billy had made in the ceiling and landed at Ashley's feet. She nearly attacked until she recognized it as the owl from the ship earlier, Circuit? Was that what Trip had called it?

"Initializing defense program alpha," The owl replied as a bubble of liquid gold light swirled around Ashley and the others.

"No," Goldar snarled lunging at the shield with his sword. The weapon was pushed back in an explosion that looked like fireworks as he struck it. "No!" Goldar roared with rage as he began to savagely hammer his weapon against the protective barrier.

Billy opened his armor and climbed out retrieving the lance from the severed left arm. The weapon separated and shrunk as he took hold of it. With a flip he leapt over the downed armor and retrieved his other lance locking them together with a twist, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder as he did.

"You don't have the agility to fight me in that tin can," Vexacus mocked as he stepped back wrapping his other hand around the hilt of his sword.

"We'll see," Kimberly said trying to feel confident, though she knew he was probably right. She was no match for his strength and prowess without the armor though, of that she was almost certain.

Vexacus made the first move, charging in darting from side to side with such incredible speed Kimberly was having trouble keeping her eye on him. Then in a flash he was gone, no longer in front of her. There was a thud as something heavy fell. She realized only too late that it was the other arm from her battle suit. How had he done that? No time to think about it, she activated the release for the armor.

Vexacus hit the barrier from the other side as Goldar continued to assault it. Scorpina had leapt over Adam and joined the two of them, though it didn't seem to do much good as this shield seemed impervious to their attacks.

Billy leapt at Goldar with his lance, but the golden warrior parried his attack and thrust his shoulder into the Blue Ranger sending him flying across the garage. His body impacted into the side of a car, the comparatively soft metal frame wrapping around him like a cushion, the pain from his shoulder was throbbing.

Vexacus caught sight of the robot bird the new Ranger had brought with him, it seemed that the protection field was radiating from him, but the power levels were off the scale. The Ranger's Zords had less power than this little machine! His optics tried to match the power signature with any known source, but was coming up empty. He recorded the signature. This could be useful information for later.

Kimberly dropped to the ground and sent several shots at Vexacus which the warrior dodged, jumping and spinning through the air like a leaf on the wind. The pink arrows ricocheted off the golden sphere, one of which passed close to Scorpina causing the warrior to flinch. Vexacus landed and threw a hard side kick into Kimberly's chest sending her flying back. Tengas dropped from the ceiling to hold Billy down and followed after Kimberly restraining her. Vexacus leapt at Adam as he attempted to stand and stabbed his sword through the armor, his optics allowing him to see what was machine and what was human. The sword pierced the right back side grazing Adam's torso and plunged into the ground pinning him down and sealing him in his armor.

"Stop for a moment," Vexacus said walking toward the swirling shield.

Goldar and Scorpina halted their attack realizing that the other Rangers were unable to assist.

"This little guy's generating a pretty strong field and his power output is beyond anything Lord Zedd's got, but I have something that might help." Vexacus said pulling out a rather large rectangular pistol from a pouch concealed on his back.

"What is that?" Goldar growled.

"This," Vexacus began pointing the weapon at the shield and firing. The green bolt hit the shield causing it to flicker and vanish. "Is a Torlak Shield Breaker."

Goldar smiled and stepped forward. Ashley stepped out to meet him. She slashed at Goldar, but he proved more agile than he looked, side stepping her attack and lashing out with his arm, his armored gauntlet striking her helmet and sending her flying aside. Goldar smirked as he raised his sword over the unconscious Green Ranger. Billy's shouting behind him muffled by the Tengas.

Jason extended his arm to his side manifesting his sword. The hilt was ornate, golden with various gems and symbolic artwork of Tyrannosaurs etched throughout with two stylized Tyrannosaurus heads extending out to form the guard. At the base of the hilt was a golden sphere with two etchings of Jason's Power Coin wrapped around it. A wide, short blade protruded from the hilt, runes running down the length on both sides. As this appeared the blade split open and retracted toward the hilt slightly as another double edge blade extended from the opening. The blade was engraved with iconography depicting a great battle between good and evil, the sharpened edges of the blade glowed with a fiery red light.

"It'll take more than some new toys to beat me boy," Astronema mocked.

Jason wasted no words and charged in. He didn't have to beat her; he just had to get to the generator. As he charged, Astronema fell into a fighting stance with a spear head pointed at him.

Even before Jason reached her the tendrils that had hung twitching near her knees sprang to life and attacked. The bladed tips reaching for his heart like claws. As if by reflex Jason lashed out with his left hand sending a storm of flaming three-pointed shurikens into the bladed tendrils deflecting them. The two met. Jason brought his sword inward slashing up, but Astronema thrust her spear forward and parried his attack up and over her head. She quickly recovered and spun the spear around, using the back of her neck as a pivot and sent it flying forward out along her left arm. Jason was able to almost evade completely, the spear tip striking one of the golden ribs of armor deflecting harmlessly.

Astronema brought the spear back around her neck again and sent it out with her right arm into the ground sinking it into the metal floor. Using it as a spring she launched a roundhouse, which Jason met with a reverse roundhouse, their legs meeting in the air forming an X. Astronema leapt back twirling her spear around her body to make sure Jason did not advance into her space. Jason fell back into a fighting stance preparing for the next exchange.

This new power the Red Ranger had was not good. His shielded torso could now be like the Green Ranger's, it was possible that the golden armor was now just as impervious as the Green Ranger's had been. Still she didn't need to beat the Red Ranger, she only needed to stall him until the others had completed their task, of course it seemed a waste to let him leave when she was free to kill unrestrained. As they faced off Astronema's tendrils darted around like serpents waiting for a chance to strike.

Jason charged in, he couldn't afford to let himself be stalled. This time the tendrils stayed still, they obviously were more than an automated defense, which could be a problem. Jason came down with his sword, Astronema raised her staff to block, but the sword cleaved it in half causing Astronema to fall to the ground. Jason fell forward with the sword, in shock that the blade had cut through Astronema's weapon so easily. The tendrils leapt forward as she fell striking Jason repeatedly in the chest as he buried his sword into the armored floor. The barbed stingers did nothing as they bounced harmlessly off.

Astronema rolled backward pushing herself to her feet. She couldn't tell if his shield was truly impervious, but it seemed that it was the strongest point, and without knowing if she had the strength to break through, it was pointless to attack it again. She reached her hand forward, the two halves of her spear transformed into twisting spheres of light and jumped to her hand reforming into a solid weapon once again as she closed her hand around it.

Jason had managed to push her back to where she had began, just outside the door, while he had moved passed the center of the guard room. Still she was slowing him down and reinforcements could arrive any minute, not to mention he had to actually get through the door. Okay Jason, get your head together, no more stopping, you can't let up until you get into that next room, Jason raced at Astronema unleashing a barrage of blazing shurikens from his left hand. Astronema dodged to the left. Racing passed her Jason slashed at the bulkhead with his sword in a jagged figure eight. The door crumbled into four pieces the edges red hot from the strike.

Jason jumped into the doorway, but was thrown back as a barrier sprung into place. Jason turned to see Astronema look up from a control pad on her left gauntlet.

"You didn't really think it was going to be that easy did you?" she said with a laugh.

Jason leapt in slashing furiously, Astronema managing to parry his attacks, cautiously doing so against the flat edge of the Ranger's blade. Jason leaned left as another spear strike flew at his head. At the same time one of the tendrils wrapped around his leg and pulled him off balance. Jason fell slashing the tendril off as he did.

Astronema thrust down trying to skewer him, but Jason rolled away and kicked the spear out from under her as he leapt to his feet. Catching Astronema off balance Jason threw a spinning side kick into her chest. Astronema slid back barely managing to stay upright.

Jason plunged his sword into the wall and swung it around in a crude circle. He pulled back and was about to strike the wall when Astronema leapt back at him bringing her spear down in a slashing motion near the Red Ranger's arm. Jason jumped back unleashing another volley of shuriken, but Astronema spun her spear in a circle deflecting them.

"Not going to fall for that twice," she said firing an arc of lighting at Jason.

Jason threw his sword into the deck blade first, the discharge of electricity striking it and dispersing through the floor. The barrier blocking the door flickered for a moment as the surge protectors compensated for the power spike.

Jason flipped over his sword, grabbing it as he did so and brought it down on Astronema. She rolled toward the wall avoiding his strike and kicked in the side of his knee causing him to stagger back. She leapt at him again to strike, but Jason sent a blast of force energy out in all directions throwing her back into the wall. Jason quickly leapt forward throwing a kick into the section of wall he had damaged. The hot metal had partially bonded again making the resistance much greater than Jason had anticipated. The meter thick piece of armor slid out dropping onto the floor on the other side of the wall. Jason landed on the floor in front of the opening ready to spring through the narrow opening when a wall of tendrils flew down blocking his way. He swung at the tendrils tearing the temporary wall apart, but before he could move Astronema planted both feet into his helmet sending him back across the floor.

Jason looked up to see Astronema standing in front of the hole, spear ready, her tendrils now all hung at shoulder level save one on each side that unraveled from around her. Behind her Jason could see a cylindrical machine that could be the reactor for the shield generator, though he couldn't be sure. Still he had to do something, time was running out.

Jason leapt to his feet and charged Astronema sending a force blast out in front of him. Astronema stood in the path of his attack holding her spear out to prevent herself from being sent through the hole. As she sprung back out Jason launched a series of shurikens at her as he turned his sword around letting it run up the back of his arm pointed away from Astronema. Jason's heart raced as he stepped into range of Astronema's spear, but he didn't stop. Astronema attempted to thrust the spear into the Red Ranger's stomach, but Jason managed to deflect the attack into the heavier armor on his chest. As he collided with Astronema the spear tip wedged into a gap between the armored ribs sinking about an inch into Jason's flesh. With a scream of pain Jason thrust his sword forward flinging it through the opening. Astronema realized only too late what had happened. She fell to the floor as Jason was vaulted into the wall behind her, striking it head first before collapsing onto the floor on top of her.

The sword sailed through the air and embedded itself into the cylinder causing a small explosion and a shower of sparks. Astronema kicked Jason off her and into the far wall. Red Ranger flew back and landed against the wall with both feet and a hand before pushing off and flipping to the ground. Astronema turned to look through the hole and turned back toward the Red Ranger who was sprinting back across the room toward her.

"You failed!" She said laughing. "You only damaged one of the power regulators! And you've lost your sword!"

Jason leapt into the air crossing his arms over his chest. Astronema slid her right foot back preparing for his attack. Jason's arms flew open wide as a downpour of huge fiery shurikens tore up everything around her. She spun her spear furiously and whipped her remaining tendrils around wildly trying to deflect the storm of spinning blades, but found herself unable. Razor edges tore spiked horns from the armor slicing through the hard armor underneath and into her flesh.

Astronema dropped to the ground, the last two tendrils falling from her helmet. Wisps of smoke rose from the armor where the burning blades had cut through it. Jason landed throwing a combo force blast with his hands sending her flying through the hole. She attempted to use her spear to stop herself, but the force of Jason's attack snapped the weapon like a twig and threw her into the damaged power regulator.

Jason dove through the hole, rolling onto the section of wall lying on the floor he sprung off it from his hands. As he rotated in the air he crossed his arms over his chest as he turned toward the massive structure that was the multiphasic shield generator. Astronema already knew it was over.

"Oh no," escaped her lips as Jason's arms flew apart unleashing an inferno of flaming blades.

The whirling firestorm slammed into the equipment in the room destroying power generators, shield capacitors, ionic stabilizers, and phase inducers among other valuable and difficult to obtain pieces of equipment along with everything it touched.

"NOOOO!" Astronema screamed as the equipment began exploding engulfing the room in flames.

Jason reached out his hand summoning his sword to him. With the weapon retrieved he teleported from the Dark Fortress as a chain reaction began sending rippling explosion all throughout the room.

"Jettison the generator!" Astronema shouted into the com as she teleported back to the bridge of the fortress.

The massive structure fell away from the Dark Fortress making a descent of nearly thirty meters before going critical. The Dark Fortress shook. On the bridge instrument panels went dark as the discharge knocked out various systems that were located close to the base of the ship.

"Take us into a higher orbit," Astronema said removing her helmet. There was a look of fear in her eyes. "And notify our ground forces that the shield is gone."

"Yes Empress," Ecliptor replied setting the navigational controls and opening a com line.

The Tengas had Billy held down tightly. No matter how much he struggled he could not get free. He watched through the shifting bodies as Adam was pinned down by the unknown warrior.

"Shield has been disabled," Beta's voice came through the com.

Billy's heart skipped a beat hearing the news. They could communicate again, they could teleport! Billy struggled trying to get a good look at the others on the ground. If he was going to teleport them as well he needed to get a line of sight to transmit their coordinates. He highlighted Rocky, Shawna, and Trip, but Circuit and Aisha were blocked by Goldar.

"Ashley can you mark Circuit and Aisha for transport," Billy asked.

"I don't know how to," Ashley said her voice a little panicked.

The shark suddenly fired an energy blast at the shield dissolving it. Goldar began to move in. They were out of time.

"Ashley, get Goldar to move left a little." Billy said hastily.

Ashley didn't have time to respond she hoped Billy meant her left. She stepped out and slashed at Goldar forcing him to side step her attack. Billy caught sight of the top of Circuit's head and Aisha and highlighted them as Goldar knocked Ashley away.

Goldar brought his sword up to strike.

"Beta, Emergency Teleport!" Billy shouted.

Goldar's sword fell as Trip and the others vanished in bursts of light, his sword plunging into the ground. As he realized they had lost a message came over the com.

"We lost the shield." Ecliptor reported.

Vexacus uttered a profanity in an alien tongue. Goldar raised his head to the ceiling howling his disapproval. The half roar, half scream reverberated within the garage causing dust to sprinkle down from the decaying structure. With nothing left to be done the trio teleported from the structure taking the Tengas with them.

"Beta, teleport the unknown craft from northwest Angel Grove to hanger zero zero nine." Billy said as he and the others materialized in the Command Center.

"Compliance,"

"And teleport these four to the Medical Bay,"

"Compliance,"

"Is everyone okay?" Jason asked from behind them as the four newcomers vanished from the floor.

"Yeah you made it just in time, one more second and…" Billy began as he turned to face Jason. He suddenly stopped. "What happened to you?"

The other Rangers turned to see Jason in his enhanced armor, his helmet being carried at his side, the gold shining bright in the light of the Command Center.

"Whoa," was all Adam could manage.

Lord Zedd stood in his throne room before five of his Generals. Trakeena, Scorpina, Vexacus, Goldar, and Astronema all stood at attention as Lord Zedd continued his furious pacing, seething with discontent. Lokar stood behind him, happy to be separate from the other five, he was here to help the Dark Lord keep his anger in check, though mostly he was here as a reminder of what happens to failures. Zedd stepped forward to face Trakeena, her small frame dwarfed by his massive armored presence.

"You were asked by Vexacus and Goldar to assist." He growled. "As far as I'm concerned you did your part, I never required you to take part. If anything you should be rewarded for trying to help these failures. Lokar!"

"Yes my Lord?"

"Reward her,"

"With what my Lord?" Lokar asked.

"Whatever she wants," Zedd snapped.

Trakeena stepped back with a bow of respect though she felt just as terrified by Lord Zedd's grace as she had his anger. Zedd moved to stand before Scorpina, Vexacus, and Goldar.

"You three however failed at the task you were given!" Zedd roared. The trio flinched as he spoke. "You wasted too much time with carefully concocted schemes. Though this was in part because you knew you would die if one of those Rangers perished."

Zedd moved in a flash slamming his elbow into Scorpina's face, upper cutting Goldar and slamming his fists down on Vexacus' shoulders sending the three of them to the floor. Scorpina held her hand to her face trying to stop the blood. Goldar piously struggled to get into a kneeling position, blood running down his jaw and onto his armor. Vexacus groaned unable to move, wondering how many of his bones were broken.

"Consider this your only warning," Zedd said moving to Astronema. The Princess of Evil hung her head trembling. "Look at me!" Zedd commanded.

Astronema used every last ounce of resolve to lift her head and stare into the eyes of her Lord, those burning eyes filled with death and destruction.

"You had the Red Ranger, all you had to do was hold him, you could have killed him if you had wished for stepping foot on your ship and yet not only did you not do this, but you allowed him to destroy the shield generator and allowed these new meddlesome elements to escape."

Astronema's head began to sink again.

"Look at me!" Zedd roared.

As her head came up again a blade began to form from the gauntlet on Lord Zedd's right arm, the black material reshaping into a razor sharp sword of twisted tendrils.

"You were my right hand and you failed me, that is weakness," his eyes blazed bright. "And weakness must be removed from the body."

With those words he thrust the blade through Astronema's chest and out her back in a spray of blood. Lord Zedd pulled it back violently as he stepped aside allowing Astronema's body to fall at his feet. She struggled to breathe, but only vomited blood onto the floor. Her world began to fade to black, as her head fell onto the floor she felt the warm sticky pool in which it rested before everything was silenced.

"So how are they?" Jason asked looking at the room of full medical beds.

The Rangers had demorphed and were in the Medical Bay tending to the others. Jason had summarized the events at the Command Center in their absence and briefly commented on his battle with Astronema. Billy was anxious to look over the recordings from both the Command Center and Jason's armor, but he knew this was more important. Trip was still unconscious, but nothing he did seemed to help. His scan had revealed nothing useful either; perhaps he was going about this problem all wrong.

Adam was now sitting quietly between Rocky and Aisha's beds, his head leaned back against the wall and his eyes closed as he grappled with the emotions that were stirring in him. Ashley was standing behind Billy looking over his shoulder at the medical display while tending to his wound with a cellular regenerator. The display showed that there was nothing wrong with Trip, at least as far as the computer knew. Circuit was perched on one of the side rails looking around the room from time to time as if simply observing.

"These three are just sleeping," Billy said indicating Adam's friends. "They'll be fine once the sedative wears off. Trip on the other hand," Billy sighed. "I have no idea why he isn't awake. I might be missing something key. I've never met a Xybrian before."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Circuit offered.

"Can you tell me what's wrong with Trip?" Billy asked.

"Running bio scan now," The owl replied, its eyes changing to a soft white. "This will take a moment."

Billy sat back and watched in amazement, "Incredible," he said under his breath.

Kimberly stepped out of the Command Center into the cool night air. In her hand she was carrying a small camping lantern that she had taken from storage. The warm glow from the propane filled globes cut through the pitch black darkness of the clouded night sky. Her thoughts were racing from the day's events, but not from the fight. She had seen him, she had seen Josh. It had to have been him. That's why they hadn't been able to find the Morpher and Power Coin. It had to be. But, then why didn't he rejoin them on the ship when he had rescued Trip and helped them escape. Was it possible that he couldn't join them?

"Josh, where are you?" she asked setting the lantern down on a rock and staring off into the night sky. "We all miss you… I miss you. I need you here, I know I never said it to you, but I think, I, think, maybe…"

Behind Kimberly, in the shadows of the Command Center, a Ranger emerged from the darkness. His armor appeared black in the shroud of night; he stepped out from the structure toward her. As he drew closer light crept over his armor illuminating the darkened green suit and the dull golden shield. His footfalls were silent as he continued to approach.

Kimberly felt a cold wind sweep up. It was unnatural in its power, especially for such a calm night. The lantern toppled from the rock, the glass around it shattering, extinguishing the flame inside. Kimberly uttered a startled cry as the lantern broke. She turned, but saw little more than darkness, her eyes unaccustomed to the night. For a moment she thought she saw a figure before her.

"Is someone there?" she asked.


	9. Chapter 9

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-9-

As Kimberly tried to focus on the image before her it seemed to melt away into nothing leaving her standing outside in the dark. The wind died as suddenly as it had come. Kimberly looked around; a chill ran down her spine. She didn't know if she was just being paranoid, but something about all of this seemed wrong. Quickly scooping up the lantern she turned the gas supply off and began to walk quickly toward the Command Center door her pace quickening the closer she came. The huge doors slid open for her allowing her in. She hurried through the open door breaking into a short sprint as she crossed the threshold coming to a stop several meters inside. She pressed herself against the side wall watching the massive doors close. She exhaled realizing she had stopped breathing just before she had entered the Command Center.

Get it together Kim, you're jumping at shadows, and shadows aren't anything to be afraid of. Shadows aren't anything at all. Nothing but a lack of light, really they are, truly, nothing. Her eyes grew wide as a horrible moment of clarity took hold in her mind. Her heart began to race as the truth forming in her mind solidified. She dropped the broken lantern and raced toward the Medical Bay.

"No abnormalities detected," Circuit replied as his eyes returned to yellow.

"This doesn't make any sense," Billy said. "There is nothing wrong with Trip. What I don't understand is why is he still morphed?"

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"Well normally when a person is unconscious their body reverts to a natural state, but for some reason Trip has remained morphed." Billy turned to the owl. "Is that normal Circuit?"

"No," the owl replied.

The door slid open as Kimberly raced in; her face a little flush from the sudden exertion.

"Kimberly, what's…?" Ashley began.

"Run a scan on his powers Billy," Kimberly said.

"Okay," Billy said pressing a few keys. "But, why?"

"Because that Ranger touched him, that Shadow Ranger." She said.

"I'm not seeing the connection," Billy said.

"A shadow is nothing," she said. "A shadow is void, like Josh was talking about when he told us about the Go-Dai!"

Billy activated the scan and sat back for a moment letting that sink in. He was approaching this problem from the idea that something was wrong with Trip, but there wasn't anything wrong except for the weakness he felt, but their strength was tied to their powers as well. He hadn't even considered that because Trip's powers hadn't failed, if anything they had seemed too strong. Billy noticed Circuit's eyes had turned white; apparently he didn't need orders to act. It was interesting that the designers had chosen the form of Bubo Viginianus, the Great Horned Owl, as the template for the design. It seemed that the old poem, or at least the association between the owl and wisdom, had lasted through the next thousand years.

The computer beeped as it completed its scan brining Billy back to the moment. Something about this traveler from the future had seemed to awaken the child in him though. Looking at the screen Billy could see that Kimberly had been right, there was another energy signature present, and it was feeding off his morphed state like a parasite.

"Circuit do you see the power drain as well?"

"Yes Billy," he replied.

"Do you think that we could correct the problem simply by demorphing him?"

"I'm not certain. There isn't enough data to suggest it would help, or that it wouldn't."

"Jason, try shutting down his morpher."

Jason looked down at Trip's waist but didn't see anything that resembled a morpher.

"It's up here," Circuit said pointing at Trip's left arm with his beak.

Jason moved around the table and took hold of Trip's wrist. He starred at the device, nothing about it looked familiar. He looked at Circuit.

"Do you know which button it is?" Jason asked.

"Those two, the buttons on both of the sides," Circuit replied pointing at the front of the Morpher. "You have to press them simultaneously, it prevents accidental demorphing."

Jason pressed the buttons and released Trip's arm. The green armor began to ripple and faded out of existence. Jason pressed two fingers to the side of Trip's neck, he felt a pulse of some kind, but it was different from what he had expected.

"Xybrians have an eight chambered heart," Circuit said as if anticipating Jason's question. "They require two elements from the air in order to breath, oxygen and nitrogen, their physiology really is quite interesting."

"Well he's alive Billy," Jason said not sure how to respond to the information Circuit had spontaneously provided.

"I think Billy and that owl are going to get along real well." Kimberly whispered to Ashley.

Ashley grinned at the thought of the two of them talking to each other all day about every topic imaginable.

"Running secondary scan," Billy said.

The Rangers huddled around the monitors awaiting the results of the test.

"It seems the foreign energy has dispersed." Circuit said.

The Rangers all turned to look at him. As they did the computer toned indicating it was finished.

"Looks like he just made this whole Command Center obsolete," Jason jested.

"On the contrary," Circuit said. "This place is one of the most advanced centers that will exist on this planet for the next three hundred years. Though, largely, the technological advancements on this planet will be driven by shared Ranger technology and that taken from future incidents on Earth against the force of evil."

"Should he be telling us all this stuff about the future?" Ashley asked. "I mean, what about messing up the time line and all the stuff they go on about in movies."

Circuit tilted his head looking at Ashley as if puzzled by her statement.

"From what Trip was saying I think we can conclude that the timeline is already ruined," Billy said.

"The timeline is not as weak as you might suppose," Circuit said. "It takes an event that is capable of starting a chain reaction of causality to alter the future in the way you are proposing. Scientists once believed that the timeline was a constant, that, and I apologize for such an archaic term, 'fate' was something decided by some 'grand design' and that the outcome of past events was unalterable. However, in the late twenty-ninth century, Professor Trent Mansfield discovered that while the presence of 'fate' was in fact plausible it is the result of all of existence moving in a unified direction and is not alterable by a single event up to a certain temporal significance."

The Rangers stood staring at Circuit. With the exception of Billy the other's seemed confused by what Circuit had said.

"What?" Kimberly asked.

"In layman's terms," Circuit began again. "Think of time as a river flowing along a set path toward a final destination, while the course of individual water molecules can be altered and even eliminated the river continues to flow."

"This is fascinating stuff," Billy said. "So you're saying that time can be altered without having a significant impact on the future?"

"Yes," Circuit replied. "Contrary to popular opinion in the scientific community of Earth at the present time and for nearly the next two hundred years, the phenomenon suggested by what was commonly known as the 'Butterfly Effect', while excellent for explaining interactions within a current frame of temporal space and how those interactions may influence further temporal events, ignores the principle of freewill that all sentient life forms possess to resist dynamic forces."

"What if someone from your time were to alter an event to such a degree that it removed their existence?" Billy asked. "Wouldn't that create a paradox?"

"In such an event there are two theories, though, as you can imagine it is nearly impossible to study such data, and those ways so far devised present moral dilemmas. However, the first theory states that since the quantum energy within a closed system, in this case our universe, is constant then the result of such an event would be the redistribution of quanta with a future that may appear different from a human perspective, but has the same quantum potential and thus the same direction as the previous future. However, the second theory takes into account the fact that when we move outside of time we create a quantum imbalance, yet order is maintained giving rise to the idea that our universe is not a closed system as some have thought, but merely another quantum singularity within an even greater quantum state containing other quantum singularities."

"My head hurts," Kimberly interrupted. "I'm sure this is fascinating and interesting, but I'm going to go get some rest."

"I think I will too," Ashley said.

"Don't stay up too late talking to Circuit," Jason said patting Billy on the shoulder.

"You coming Adam?" Kimberly asked.

"No," Adam said opening his eyes. "I want to be here when they wake up."

"Okay, good night," Kimberly replied as the three Rangers left the Medical Bay.

"So what does the second theory state?" Billy asked eagerly.

"The second theory states that it is likely that the creation of a paradox could result in a transference of energy between singularities to compensate for the change in the quantum state. Though at the present year it is unknown what the ramifications of such a shift in quantum energy would be. Though the information given to humanity by Eltarian scientists does show the existence of other dimensional planes; though none in which there exists a 'parallel world'. It is conceivable that these dimensions are actually other singularities within the greater quantum state. This has caused some to believe that these paradoxes could be the key to dimensional travel, but so far no theories have emerged as to how one of these paradoxes can be safely created."

"Fascinating," was Billy's only reply.

Lord Zedd stood on the balcony of his lunar fortress. Events of the last week had weighed heavy upon him. Everything he had strived to achieve was falling apart. He should have allowed Rita to select that whelp as her Green Ranger. He should have delayed his arrival to Earth in favor of conquering another race. Everything had gone wrong from the moment he had selected that accursed human as his Green Ranger. Joshua Raine. That name angered him. He should have been able to overpower the Rangers, but by some fluke they had managed to sever his control over the Green Ranger just as they had done with Rita's choice. Was it the Sword of Darkness that proved to be the weak point, or had it been something else? Something, less tangible? When he thought of all the times he could have simply crushed them, he could have obliterated this world the moment he arrived, now he had a true fight on his hands, nothing he knew of the Rangers could give him an easy victory. Rumors were even circulating amongst his own warriors that the Green Ranger was still alive, though something about the accounts he had received did not feel right to him. This Green Ranger was different, not only in his demonstrated powers, but in the manner of his attacks. Not one of his Generals, not one of his warriors had been torn to pieces in the way that was consistent with the Green Ranger's abilities. Joshua had been smart though, he could be doing this deliberately to make it seem this Ranger was a fake while still helping his friends. He had also studied with Ninjor, which meant Joshua could know almost as much about the Morphing Grid as he did.

It would be a dangerous trail to follow now, but he had to keep his plans intact. If he changed everything now in favor of a single crushing blow the growing suspicion among his General's that he was not all powerful would be strengthened and he could not afford to make examples of them if he was to continue his campaign across the galaxy unabated. Of course, since none knew his time table there was nothing preventing him from accelerating those plans. And even if those plans should fail he still had one more trap waiting for just such an occasion.

Jason was still awake watching some old battles on the holo-display when Billy emerged from the Medical Bay an hour later. It was nearly two in the morning, but Billy didn't feel tired at all. Circuit flew through the opening before the doors closed and glided silently to the console to Jason's left. Jason didn't seem to notice him. The images Jason was currently viewing were from the last fight of his old life. He watched carefully as Green Ranger dodged the attack he and Billy had made before stabbing him in the back and taking him down, finally breaking his neck. He watched as Kimberly's arrow hit the Green Ranger allowing Billy to eliminate one of his weapons. Billy came up alongside of him watching the final moments of the fight that had changed their lives forever. Jason watched the last moments as the Green Ranger screamed at the sky. He turned off the display.

"I never knew how it really ended," Jason said turning to Billy.

"Everything happened so fast," Billy said. "I think I kicked that sword away before I even realized you were dead."

"It's funny," Jason said a little distant. "Even though I was suppose to lead the Rangers I still had to die, this event was unavoidable. It just reminded me of what Circuit said about free will."

Billy thought about it for a moment. It did seem that Joshua's actions had always been opposed to fate or destiny. If anyone could come back from death then it was him, though with what Kimberly had helped them discover with Trip it was unlikely that the Green Ranger they had seen was really him. The way Joshua had described the fifth element, the power of void, it seemed inconceivable that he would use it. Still this Shadow Ranger, as Kimberly had put it, was making good use of the abilities he had and seemed to move about freely. It was obvious that this new Ranger was not helping Zedd, at least not directly, but was the enemy of their enemy really their friend?

"Hey, Billy, you there?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind." Billy said. "Well this is the main system," Billy said turning to Circuit. "The encrypted files are all located on matrix seven two one eight six five. Feel free to interface with the system to get your Time Shadow fixed. I know there was some damage done to it. I'm going to sleep."

"Thank you," Circuit replied. "I hope I will be able to help you with your problem as well."

"How's Trip doing?" Jason asked as Billy was leaving the room.

"His power levels are climbing, but he's going to need some rest." Billy replied. "We'll have to see how he is in the morning."

"Okay, well good night Circuit," Jason said as he followed Billy out of the room.

"Good night," Circuit replied.

The lights shut down in the main room. Circuit connected to the main system through the remote link Billy had given him access to. His eyes glowed green in the darkness as he began transferring data to the system to repair the Time Shadow. Having completed his first task he began scanning the encrypted files that Billy had locked away. They all appeared to be locked with a fairly standard Eltarian Encryption Key. Circuit began unlocking the files scanning them as he went. His eyes widened as the data was copied into his own mainframe. This was very interesting material indeed.

Psycho Blue and Pink were hunched over the work station that they had constructed in the bowels of the Dark Fortress. The room had originally been one of the fortress' many garbage repositories, but Blue had insisted that this would make the best location for the Psycho's to work from. While he intended to equip the facility to suit their needs he had grown increasingly fixated on his new experiments once he had finished the small work station in one corner of the room, originally not much bigger than an office desk, the work station had grown to the size of a small room as Blue had eviscerated parts from all over the Dark Fortress to add to it. Near him Psycho Pink was at work contributing her own skills to Blue's latest project.

"Did you hear the news?" Red asked coming into the main room.

"Shhh," Blue replied not looking up from his work to address him. "This is a very delicate stage,"

"What are you doing?" Red asked in a whisper as he approached the work station.

"Genetically modifying cockroaches," Blue replied.

"To do what?" Red asked grinning with anticipation.

"Make them different colors," Blue replied.

"Here's a red one," Pink said holding up the bright red insect.

"Why are you changing the colors of bugs?" Red asked hoping there was something to salvage from Blue's latest plan.

"So they can blend in with the Skittles." Blue said.

"I'm painting white Ss on them," Pink added.

Red stood looking at Blue in total dismay, not sure what to say about his latest endeavor.

"The best part is that if this works out we can also make some to hide in M and Ms, and Reese Pieces."

"And you are doing this because, why?" Red asked the annoyance in his voice apparent.

"You just don't get it do you Red?" Blue asked in frustration.

"Why don't you explain it to me," Red replied.

"You wouldn't get it anyway. It involves Chaos Mathematics."

"They have math for causing chaos?"

"Idiot," Blue replied. "Of course they do."

Red pondered the possibilities for a moment.

"So what did you want?" Blue asked.

"I heard that Zedd killed Astronema," Red replied.

"Really?" Pink replied, a hideous grin spreading across her face.

"Well that should keep her from discovering that I took one of the antimatter regulators from the power core." Blue said turning back to his work. "I guess things do work out if you stay positive. Of course she could always come back as a zombie."

"I hate zombies," Pink replied with a shiver. "Always watching you at the park with their beady little eyes, trying to steal your bread, cooing incessantly,"

"Those are pigeons," Blue said continuing his work.

"Oh," Pink replied. "Never mind then."

"Have you seen Black or Yellow?" Red asked looking around.

Blue leaned back with a sigh, "If you promise to go away I'll tell you,"

"Deal,"

"Yellow went to acquire a waffle iron. Black is out walking Lucy,"

"Out where?"

"Out on the top of the fortress," Blue said getting annoyed.

"There's no air out there Blue, Lucy's going to suffocate!" Red said frantically running out of the room.

"Red!" Blue called, but he was already gone. "Moron,"

On the surface of the Dark Fortress Psycho Black was out dragging the remains of some animal on a leash behind him. The animal was no longer identifiable and looked as if it had been repeatedly run over by several motor vehicles. A heavy tread mark was imprinted in the mess of fur and toughened flesh that ran from what was once the front of the creature to the back. If the animal had a tail it was no longer present. The collar which had been tightened around the flattened corpse was equipped with an atmospheric shield allowing a living creature to survive even in a hostile environment such as the vacuum of space. As he continued to walk along Psycho Red emerged from one of the numerous access hatches that existed on the outer hull.

Red waved his arms furiously as he approached Black attempting to shout something, but his words were lost in the airless void. Black looked at him inquisitively coming to a stop. Red came to a halt barely a foot from Black still shouting. Black tapped the side of his head indicating that he could not hear anything Red was saying.

Red pointed at Lucy and made a motion like he was choking. Black looked at him for a minute trying to understand what he was trying to convey. Finally he understood what Red was getting at and leaned down tapping the collar indicating the atmospheric shield generator.

Upon seeing the device Red nodded his understanding and gave Black a thumb up before walking away. Black smiled and mouthed something to his pet and continued to walk along the surface of the Dark Fortress.

"Where am I?" a voice asked.

Adam inhaled deeply as these words stirred him from his sleep. His eyes opened, slowly coming into focus from the haze of a long sleep. He looked down at his watch to discover that it was nearly eight in the morning; the digital display just visible in the low light levels. He rubbed his eyes and looked around to see Rocky awake staring at him.

"Did you say something?" Adam asked sleepily with a yawn.

"Where are we?" Rocky said modifying his question.

"You're at the Command Center, the headquarters, or whatever you want to call it, of the Power Rangers."

"So that stuff that happened last night wasn't just a dream,"

"No," Adam said with a smile. "But you're safe now,"

"So all those days you were busy with your community projects you were actually…" Rocky's question trailed off.

"Yeah, I was here training or taking my turn at monitor duty. Every once and a while I would go to help with some sabotage, but those missions were usually light ones that didn't involve much combat."

"You lied to us," Rocky said a little distant.

"I didn't have a choice," Adam started. "Well I did, but not after becoming a Ranger, they have a code, it was in honor of their former leader, Zordon, our identities were kept secret, until about a week ago."

"What changed?" Rocky asked.

"With everything we knew gone, we all agreed that our double lives were over. We all took a new oath and now life as a Power Ranger is all we have until a day comes when we can set aside our powers or pass them on."

"Can you keep it down, I'm trying to sleep," came a tired voice.

Adam looked over to see Shawna rolling over and pulling the cover over her head. Rocky looked over and also noticed Aisha was still sound asleep. Looking around the room he saw another individual lying on a bed opposite their own in a black shirt and white and black pants.

"Who's that?" Rocky asked sitting up in the bed.

"His name is Trip," Adam replied. "He's a Power Ranger from the future."

"Huh," Rocky sat looking at the green hair and odd gem in his forehead. "Does everyone in the future look like that?"

"I don't know," Adam replied. "He's actually an alien, though I don't remember the name, started with a Z I think."

Rocky's stomach growled. "Do you have anything to eat?" he asked.

"I can get you something," Adam replied getting up. "Have any requests?"

"As long as it's a hot meal anything would be great,"

"I'll see what I can find."

Adam walked out of the Medical Bay, the doors opening as he approached, they slid shut behind him leaving Rocky alone with the others in the room. Rocky glanced around at the equipment and the green haired alien in the other bed. He tuned and set his feet down on the floor, the metal feeling cold through his socks. He rose and began to walk around the room stretching out his arms. He turned and proceeded toward Trip; Rocky came to a stop near the top of Trip's bed looking down at the sleeping Time Force Ranger.

Adam exited the Medical Bay to find the main chamber empty and the lights still off. It appeared as if, after last night's battle, all the Rangers were exhausted.

"Lights," he called out.

With a flicker and hum as if something were charging up the lights came on in the main chamber. Instrument panels sprang to life allowing for human interface. Adam could see Beta still standing in his docking station in the corner, the red line that darted from side to side extinguished as the machine recharged. On one of the panels the blue mechanical owl sat motionless, its eyes closed as if it were also sleeping, though Adam wondered if a machine like that actually required rest.

Adam continued through the main chamber coming to one of several doors around the perimeter. The door slid open and lights came on revealing a large storage area, about the size of a two-car garage, filled with shelves of food items. On the far end of the room was another door that led to a cold storage bay, though Adam was certain it was never intended to be used as a refrigerator and freezer. Adam walked passed the shelves taking a loaf of bread from one as he did. Approaching the cold storage room the door slid open. Lights came on above a long line of storage containers organized like filing cabinets, cool air wafted over Adam's face as he stepped inside. Adam walked up to one that was labeled 'meat'. Gripping the handle he twisted and pulled, there was a sound of decompression as the cylindrical drawer slid open. Adam looked through the contents, chicken, ground beef, a single piece of fish, not what he was looking for. He closed the drawer and looked down at the subsequent drawers below it, but none of them were labeled. He began to go through them and finally found what he was looking for, pulling a package of bacon from the unit he slid the door shut and proceeded to another cabinet labeled 'eggs'.

Billy opened his eyes as he heard the hum of several power regulators coming online indicating someone had turned the power on. It had only been a week since he and the others had moved into the Command Center, and he was already conditioned to waking when he heard that sound. On the cot next to his Jason was still asleep. Billy twisted his neck trying to work out a kink. These cots were not the most comfortable things, but they had been readily available. It would be a simple matter to have some beds made with the construction facilities the Command Center had, but with the creation of the labor drones he had made to work on other renovations such as the conversion of two storage bays, one into twin bathrooms, and the other into a proper kitchen, along with the work on the Power Cycles and the reincarnate Dragon Zord he had been a little distracted. The renovations had also taken longer than he had hoped because of the nature of the Molecular Assembler which was used to manufacture equipment in the Command Center. The device was fascinating, assembling matter from base particles directly into the desired material and at incredible speeds. The process was time efficient, if not mathematically complicated given the intricate task of firing trillions of particles a second to cause atomic nuclei to form and establish electron orbits. Regrettably the device was bulky and not suited for micronization, which meant that all the necessary materials and amenities had to be formed in the work bays and then installed by the drones. In addition work was going slow because of the excavations needed to expand the existing storage rooms and install pipe work. This was being accomplished with the teleporter, making things much easier and efficient without compromising the security of the Command Center, but it was not moving as quickly as he had initially hoped.

The only thing that had saved them when they arrived is that Josh had worked on some rudimentary facilities to accommodate himself when he was here. While his makeshift kitchen and bathroom were functional they were small and not adequate for the needs of five people, let alone the additional four they now had. However, he was still hopeful that the facilities would be operational in the next few days, even if they were still incomplete. Billy took his glasses from the table next to his bed ignoring the task of dealing with his contacts for the moment. He opened a suitcase that was near his cot and took out a pair of jeans and a shirt. In the corner he noticed the pile of clothes that had built up over the last week. Getting a washer and dryer would also be a priority. Billy got dressed and exited the storage bay.

The floor of the main chamber was cold on his bare feet, but he didn't concern himself with it as he made his way to the Medical Bay. As the doors slid open Billy was shocked to see Rocky hovering over Trip, who was still unconscious on his bed.

"What are you doing?" Billy asked trying to keep his voice light and mask the tone of suspicion.

Rocky looked up apparently a little shaken by Billy's abrupt entrance.

"I was just looking," Rocky replied. "I've never seen an alien before."

Billy looked around the room. Aisha and Shawna were still asleep, or at least not giving any indication that they were awake. The situation was a little awkward. He had no proof that Adam's friends had any ulterior motives, but it still made Billy uncomfortable that Adam left them alone in the Medical Bay with Trip, who Zedd had gone out of his way to try and eliminate. It would be best that he remain until Adam returned, but needed to make it appear as if he suspected nothing.

"So how are you feeling this morning?" Billy asked walking over to check the medical display next to Trip.

"I'm feeling a little better," Rocky replied. "Little hungry though. I'm Rocky by the way," he said extending his hand.

"Billy," he replied shaking his hand.

"Which Ranger were you?"

"The blue one,"

"Ah," Rocky replied as he went back over to his bed and sat down.

Billy continued to look over Trip's vitals. He pressed a few buttons to run another scan of Trip's powers and activated the security lockouts on the computer requiring a Ranger's voice print and retinal scan to access any information. The bar slid out over Trip and began its scan.

"What are you doing?" Rocky asked.

"Running a medical scan," Billy replied

"Oh, where am I?" came a voice from one of the other bed.

Billy looked over his shoulder to see that Shawna was awake and pushing herself into a sitting position on her bed. Rocky looked at Billy questioning if he were going to explain or not.

"You're in the Command Center, the base of operations for the Power Rangers," Billy replied after a brief moment of silence before returning to his work.

Shawna and Rocky began to talk quietly to one another about what was going on. Rocky told her about his brief conversation with Adam before he had left to get them breakfast. Billy began to phase out their conversation as he looked over the results of Trip's scan happy that the two of them had each other to talk to until Adam returned.

"This is a dangerous game you are playing Lord Diabolico," came a strong sinister voice from the shadows.

A lone figure stood with his back to the demon. Light played across the lower half of the figure. A long midnight blue cape hung over his shoulders concealing his back. Below the tattered ends of the cape the back of a pair of bone-white armored boots were visible. A scabbard of some kind was visible on his back, the same as his armor, but with intricate design work as if the weapon it housed was meshed with its sheath.

"I assure you that our movements have gone undetected by the enemy," Diabolico replied. "I am certain Zedd is not aware of…"

"You presume too much," the figure replied calmly. "My Lord is concerned about your… activities."

"Do you mean to tell us that Zedd has discovered us?" Olympius replied.

"You would be wise to hold your tongue in my presence," the shadow replied, his head turning slightly, a glowing red eye fixed on Olympius.

"If Queen Bansheera were here…"

"Your mother isn't here to pamper you whelp," the stranger said, his tone becoming more hostile. "And if she were you would find she cares as little as I do about what you think."

"How dare…" Olympius began before Loki closed a massive hand around his face.

"Please be silent," Loki whispered. "Even though I deplore you we can not afford to lose your strength."

Loki released his hand slowly as Olympius composed himself. "I'm sorry for my outburst," he said feigning humility.

"I apologize for the interruption lord," Diabolico said. "Does our future bode ill?"

"It is difficult to say," the figure replied turning his head away from them again. "The Oracle is clouded in darkness, a maelstrom of chaos is upon us now and nothing is certain. If we do not proceed carefully in this matter we risk being smashed upon the rocks of fate and sink into oblivion. My Lord is understandably weary of taking any direct action at such a crucial time."

"Forgive me lord, but it is the nature of my kind to take advantage of chaos and darkness and strike from it."

"That is quite a gamble," the figure replied as he stepped away into the shadows dissolving into mist. "And it is one my Lord is not prepared to take." His voice echoed through the catacombs fading away.

"Do you think he means to dispose of us now?" Vypra asked.

"I knew we shouldn't have done anything," Olympius said voicing his frustration. "This is what befalls us for listening to you." He said pointing at Diabolico.

"We are in no danger," Diabolico said calmly, apparently ignoring Olympius. "Whoever this new power is that we find ourselves under, it is clear he is cautious, but he also is prepared for mistakes. What we were given was a warning, not a threat."

"What do you mean brother?" Loki asked.

"He was warning us that if we are discovered we will be on our own. And we have all seen how we fair on our own…"

Trakeena paced the main chamber of the underground hive. Her mind was preoccupied with the reward she sought for her service. She had heard that Lord Zedd possessed many powerful artifacts from many alien worlds, but Lokar had informed her that as many of these icons used the powers of the enemy that they would not leave his collection. She couldn't understand why if these items were able to grant power like that of the Rangers that they were not used. Lokar, however, did not see fit to explain the matter to her and she was left to decide on an alternate reward. Lokar had offered one small piece of advice and suggested that she choose something that would make her more powerful, as Generals who did so tended to excel in Lord Zedd's service. She couldn't help but think that Lord Zedd only rewarded others to strengthen his own army while fostering loyalty from those who did well and eliminating those who failed. He truly was weeding out weakness and increasing his strength. This was a lesson she took to heart.

"My Lady," a voice from outside called as a large warrior in fiery chitinous armor came into the chamber.

"Furio, what have you to report?"

"As you have requested my Lady the control center is complete, you are now able to command the Khepri from here." Furio replied handing her a wrist gauntlet. The item was a metallic blue like her armor, but was inset with jewels and artwork that looked similar that of ancient Egypt.

Trakeena looked over the gauntlet admiring the fine detail that had gone into its creation. Like all the things made by the Vora it was a masterpiece of technology and intricate design.

"Father told me that once, many millennia ago, we were revered as gods on this planet."

"What happened?" Furio asked.

"The filth rebelled," she said with disdain in her voice. "They turned to another source of power, horrible monsters from another realm, but I hear in the end the beasts they summoned to expel us eventually conquered their whole world."

"Perhaps fate has led you back to assume godhood on this world once again." Furio suggested.

"Perhaps," Trakeena said attaching the gauntlet to her wrist. "Now, how are our plans coming?"

"Things move slowly my Lady," Furio replied.

"Why?"

"Between replenishing our ranks from the last fight and the expansion our workers are spread thin."

"Take Treacheron and several of our remaining queens and establish several more colonies across the planet, place them in remote area where they can feed off the wild life and go unnoticed."

"But what of our ordered expansion?" Furio asked.

"I have a plan," she replied with a cold smile.

"I will do as you command my Lady," Furio replied with a shallow bow before leaving the chamber.

Perhaps we were led back here to resume godhood? It did not matter why they had been led back to this planet, before all this was over she would be the goddess of this world. For the time being however she would have to play the role of obedient warrior.

Kimberly woke up curled in a ball on her cot, her arms wrapped around her pillow. She had the vaguest sensation that she had dreamt about Joshua, she tried to remember what had happened, but the images faded from her mind as she slipped into the waking world. She sat up looking around the dimly lit room. She noticed Ashley's cot was already empty. She reached over to the small table next to her bed and shifted the clock radio around; it was nearly ten in the morning. She grabbed a pair of grey sweats and put them on before she wandered out of the room.

As the door from her room opened the light from the main chamber flooded in causing her to squint. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The room appeared to be empty except for Beta who was at one of the stations monitoring the Command Center's systems. She walked to one of the consoles. She activated the translator and began typing in the possible combinations she had heard the other day from that strange man.

The results that came up were sparse, which made her job easier. Apparently the Japanese had a word for Earth, so that eliminated the possibility of terra being the word he had used, the only other option that had come up was Ptera, which was used in Japanese, unless it was a name, which she couldn't account for. The second word was a little tricky because she couldn't remember if he had said musha or mushi. The results didn't seem to help as one meant warrior and the other meant insect. So he had either referred to her as the Ptera warrior, or the Ptera insect. She sighed leaning forward on the console. Without knowing exactly what he said she couldn't determine if he was a friend or an enemy.

"You okay?" Ashley asked coming into the room.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied trying to perk up. "Just hitting another dead end."

Ashley knew that response too well; it meant she didn't want to talk about it. "So everyone is having breakfast, our guests are all up as well, except for Trip."

"Is he okay?"

"Billy says he is, he just needs a little time to get his strength back."

"So you already ate then?"

"No, I was going to then decided to wait."

"How come?"

"Oh, Jason still wants to hear about how I met Josh."

"Oh," Kimberly replied with a smile. "It wasn't that bad. I mean a cute guy walks up to you it's not like any girl's first thoughts are 'I bet he's here to ask if I'm want to be a Power Ranger'."

"I just felt so stupid," Ashley said, her face turning a little red.

"Well if it makes you feel better Josh never said anything to me about it, I think he had bigger things on his mind."

"Adam was there too though,"

"I doubt he'll say anything," Kimberly reassured her. "It really wasn't that bad though, I think it was kind of cute really."

"Maybe,"

"So breakfast then?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah,"

The two proceeded into the smaller storage room that Josh had once used as his bedroom and served as a limited kitchen. The room had been rearranged with a single long table running from one of the walls allowing for seven chairs to be placed around it. In the corner was a small refrigerator on top of which sat a microwave. On the wall above these appliances was a series of cupboards that now contained dishes and basic food items. Josh's stuff had been moved into storage. Billy had thought it best to get rid of it, but Kimberly and Ashley had both protested making the valid point that they weren't short on space and there was no proof either way of Josh's condition no matter what common sense told Billy. One addition Billy had made was a small sink with a small model dishwasher below it. Between the appliances the converter box that lowered the Command Centers power output to a level safe for man made appliances sat on the floor, a heavy cable running from the wall attaching to the back of it.

Jason smiled as the girls entered the room, even though he didn't say it Ashley knew he was still hoping she would tell him what had happened. Adam was sitting down on the end of the table with his friends catching up. They looked to be in good spirits for all the horrors they had survived, though Billy was certain that a good portion of it had merely been suppressed.

"Good morning," Billy said looking up from his cereal.

"Morning," Kimberly replied with a smile.

"Oh, we're done here," Adam said noticing the lack of seating as Kimberly and Ashley came in.

Adam and his friends picked up their plates and cups and rose from the table. As they went toward the sink Billy stopped Adam for a moment and whispered something to him. Adam seemed annoyed for a moment, but nodded and continued on his way. The group finished with their dishes and left the room quietly.

"What was that about?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm just not sure we can trust them," Billy said. "I wanted to make sure Adam understood that we shouldn't leave them alone."

"You think they might be working for Zedd?" Kimberly asked a little confused.

"I don't know," Billy said. "It's just a hunch, but it's a little too convenient that we found them, out of all the buildings we could have entered we just happened into the one they were using, and out of everyone that was allegedly with them they were the sole survivors."

"When you put it that way it does seem a little strange," Ashley admitted.

"Still," Kimberly said. "That could just be a coincidence."

"Maybe," Jason admitted. "But with all the strange stuff that has been happening and all the new faces showing up we can't afford to take any chances."

"All I'm saying is that we should keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Billy said. "It may be nothing, maybe it was just a coincidence."

"I hope so, for Adam's sake," Kimberly said taking out a bowl and pouring in some cereal. "It would be nice to see someone get something good for a change."

"So Jason," Ashley began as Kimberly passed her the cereal box. "If I tell you what happened when I met Josh do you promise not to tease me about it."

"Sure, but I'm not promising I won't laugh," Jason said with a smile.

Ashley thought about it for a moment. "Fine, but I don't want to hear a word about this again from either of you, okay."

"Fine," Jason replied.

There was a moment of silence.

"Billy?" Ashley prodded.

"Oh," Billy said looking up, apparently not paying attention to the current conversation "Sorry, yeah, won't ever mention it again."

"Fine," Ashley said with a sigh. "So like Adam said yesterday, he and Josh had teleported in about a block away from Angel Grove Jr. High, I was in eighth grade at the time and was out waiting for the bus…

Ashley was sitting on a bench with a tray that still had several cupcakes on it, the leftovers from the bake sale the cheerleading squad had held that day. She sighed setting the tray down next to her. The bus was running late, and on a Friday, why on a Friday? She leaned back and looked up at the sky, watching the few clouds that were drifting overhead. Just one more year and then High School, of course that meant after this year she would move from the top of the social standings to the bottom. Her head snapped back as she heard the sound of a diesel driven vehicle, false alarm, just a truck. She really wanted to get out of her uniform and into some real clothes.

"Ashley Hammond?" A voice came from behind her.

Ashley turned her head to see two guys standing between her and the Gym. They were both cute, especially the one with blonde hair. She didn't recognize either one though, which meant they probably didn't go to this school.

"Yeah?" Ashley responded.

"Hi, my name is Josh, this is Adam." Adam nodded. "I really need to ask you about something if you have a moment."

Ask me about something? Ashley blushed a little.

"Yeah I have time," she said trying to keep her composure.

Adam stayed where he was as Josh walked over toward Ashley. Ashley stood up as he approached, her eyes locked with his, offering him her seat. Josh smiled and sat down.

"So what did you…" Ashley started to say as she sat down next to him.

"Um," Josh began to interrupt.

Distracted by Josh Ashley sat down on the tray of cupcakes that she had placed on the bench. She could feel the cake and frosting smear on her skirt as she crushed them. Ashley's face went crimson as she realized what she had just done.

"Excuse me," she said jumping up and running toward the nearest bathroom.

"So, you were so interested in Josh that you forgot about the tray and sat on the cupcakes." Jason said chuckling a little.

"Hey, you said you wouldn't tease me," Ashley reminded him.

"Sorry," Jason said trying to keep a straight face.

"So what happened after that?" Billy asked.

Ashley emerged from the bathroom a few moments later. She had taken her skirt off and washed it out in the sink and then had been forced to tie her sweater around her waist to cover the water stain on her skirt. She almost hoped that Josh wasn't going to be there when she came out, but he was still sitting on the bench, Adam was standing off to the side talking with him. She could see from the bathroom that one of them had disposed of the remains on the tray. With butterflies in her stomach Ashley forced herself to return to the bench.

"Is everything okay?" Josh asked as she came back.

"Yes," Ashley replied brushing her hair back, a little nervous. "Sorry about that,"

"No worries," Josh replied handing her the empty tray. "I hope you don't mind, but we cleaned up the mess,"

"Oh, no, thanks," she said checking the bench and sitting down again.

"I hope those weren't for anything important," Josh said.

"Oh, no, it was for a bake sale today, not important." she said.

"I can pay for them," Josh replied.

"Oh don't worry, they were leftovers, I was just going to take them home, so what did you want to ask me about?" she said trying to get back to the conversation they had almost started.

"I'm here to offer you a chance to join a group that works to make the lives of people better." Josh said.

"Oh," Ashley replied looking a little disappointed.

"Are you not interested?" Josh asked trying to read her expression.

"It's not that, I just thought, anyway, it depends. I have a lot already with student council and cheerleading."

"I understand," Josh said reaching into his pocket. Adam grinned knowing what was coming next. "This is a little different though." He unfolded his hand.

Ashley looked down and caught sight of the small golden coin that he held. Yellow energy lit in the eyes of the icon on the coin and spread over the coin. Adam noticed that Ashley's eyes reflected the yellow light causing them to almost shine for a moment. He wondered if that had happened when he had looked at his own coin.

"What is this?" Ashley asked not looking up from the coin.

"This is the Sabretooth Tiger Power Coin," Josh said. "I'm offering you a chance to become a Power Ranger."

"Oh my god," Ashley said quietly trying to restrain herself.

"There are some things to consider," Josh said seeing her immediate enthusiasm.

"Yeah, whatever, it's fine with me," she replied.

Josh closed his hand around the coin. Ashley looked up at him. "I'm serious," he said, his tone becoming very foreboding.

"Okay, what should I be considering?"

"This isn't a game, this is real life. People will live or die because of you. And, not to sound so dramatic, but we could be talking about the fate of the world here. What I'm offering you is a chance to defend your planet and everything you love, but it comes at a price."

"What's the price?" Ashley asked coming down from the euphoria of the thought of being a Power Ranger.

"Your power must never be used for personal gain, and no one, absolutely no one can ever know you are a Power Ranger."

"Why?" Ashley asked. "I mean, why can no one know?"

"Because people will go through your family to get what you have," Josh said.

Ashley sat pondering what Josh had said. The chance to be a Ranger was too great to pass up, but it would be hard to not tell anyone. Then again she didn't like the thought of someone coming after her family to get her power. Then there was the real possibility that she could be killed like the other Rangers had.

"Are there any other rules that I have to follow?" Ashley asked.

"Those are the only ones that you will lose your Power Coin for ignoring without question,"

"Wait a minute," Jason said interrupting. "What happened to the other rule that Zordon charged us with when he gave us our Power Coins?"

"You mean the second rule," Billy said. "Never escalate a battle unless we were forced to? We discussed it, at points Josh and I got quite heated with one another, but in the end we decided that this was a war and as long as a hostile force was at our doorstep any means to protect the human race was not an escalation, but action in a war we were already in. We have no intention of trying to destroy Zedd's whole empire, just what threatens us."

"Aren't we still endangering our families though when we revealed our identities?" Ashley asked.

"Only a small gathering of world leaders and military officials were there," Billy said. "It is conceivable that someone there may try and blackmail us if they found out exactly who we were and which relatives were still alive, but under the circumstances it is unlikely."

"What makes you so certain?" Jason asked.

"Even though our Morphers are a shortcut to get to the power locked in the coins, only a small group of humanity can actually use them, to an average person they're useless; they would never survive the transformation, not for long anyway. We've released that information."

"That's right," Kimberly said. "Billy used that when he was defending Josh, the UN wanted him to give up his Morpher to someone they felt they could trust and Billy told them that there was a limit to who could use a Morpher, and Josh's Morpher was much more powerful, so there were fewer people who could handle it."

"Right," Billy said. "And since we didn't know when Zedd was going to attack again they reluctantly agreed to give Josh a period of probation while we replenished our ranks."

"So how is that going to stop anyone?" Ashley asked.

"Well, granted human intelligence is a factor, but anyone intelligent enough to orchestrate such a feat should be able to conclude that without being certain that they or an associate could use the power it would be worthless to even attempt to acquire it since the technology we possess here is far greater than anything else in the world. We could teleport someone out of danger without having to deal with any of these violent elements."

"What prevented that from being an option before though?" Jason asked.

"Accessibility to us," Billy said. "If one of us were to come home to find a parent being held hostage there is little we could do immediately with the limits on the teleporter, not to mention we would have to contend with threats of theft and being attacked in public."

"Do you stay up all night thinking of these things?" Kimberly asked half joking.

"To me it's just common sense." Billy replied.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," Jason said. "So what happened next?"

"Well," Ashley said. "I was really thinking I wanted to be a Ranger, but was worried more about if I could keep this a secret…."

Josh was amazed that Ashley was taking so long to come to a decision. Adam had jumped at the chance, though he had approached Adam differently, he was hoping that the change in tactic hadn't scared Ashley from accepting the offer.

Ashley was busy weighing the pros and cons of this situation, it was hard to find a downside, but as Josh had said this was serious. She had to wonder which Ranger he was. He was either the Blue or the Green; that was a scary thought, she might be sitting on this bench with the one who killed three of the Power Rangers, maybe it was better she didn't know. She knew that he wasn't the Pink Ranger; that much was certain. She smiled as the thought entered her mind, so at least there would be one other girl she could talk with. She suddenly became aware of how quiet it was. She looked up to see that the other students that had been waiting for the bus were gone.

"Um, did a bus come while I was gone?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah," Adam replied. "Almost after you left,"

"Great," Ashley muttered.

"That was your bus?" Josh asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, now I have to call my Mom and get a ride home,"

"I can drop you off," Josh said.

"You drive?" Ashley asked.

"No, I teleport," Josh replied with a smile. "Much faster."

"So do you need an answer now?" Ashley asked. "About being a Ranger?"

"Do you want more time to think about it?"

"I don't know," Ashley said. "My head is swimming right now."

"Then listen to your heart," Josh replied.

Ashley closed her eyes and tried to silence all the questions that were swirling in her mind. There were so many 'what ifs', but in the mess of thoughts she could feel something compelling her to accept. What if she didn't take this chance and it never came again? That was one 'what if' she wasn't prepared to spend her life wondering about.

"I'll do it," she said opening her eyes.

Joshua extended the Power Coin to her.

"This is going to be weird," Adam said as Ashley took hold of the coin.  
Ashley could feel power moving through her body as if a fire was spreading inside her. Memories began to fill her mind, places and people she had never met. Flashes flooded her mind, the Dark Warrior, her Uncle in danger, Silvia! Billy, you're too high!

"Billy you're too high!" she said in a sudden panic. Ashley held the coin to her chest as she fell to her knees trying to catch her breath. "What was that?" she asked between gasps.

"The psychic imprints of the coin's last owner." Josh said.

"You could've warned me," Ashley said a little upset as she rose to her feet.

"I tried," Adam said.

"It's interesting though," Josh said.

"What is?" Adam asked.

"The reaction wasn't anywhere near as pronounced in you," Josh said to Adam. "I wonder if the Yellow Ranger had greater struggles during the time she was a Ranger?"

"She was brave, she had to overcome a lot of fear," Ashley said. "I can tell you that much."

"…After that Josh told me about the Command Center and arranged to take both Adam and I there Saturday evening to meet Billy and Kimberly. We spent the next several months training in martial arts and were finally allowed to come on missions."

"What did you do until then?" Jason asked.

"We had them using the equipment in the Command Center, like a support team." Billy said. "Beta was still in his early stages and was in no position to provide any help if we needed it."

"You might be against this Billy," Jason said. "But it seems to me that we have three new members who could be trained to fill that role. I think you did a remarkable job on Beta, but he's not Alpha, we could use someone here to assist Beta."

"I was thinking we could use Circuit for that," Billy said. "I'm just a little concerned about anyone having access to the Command Center computers who I can't fully trust."

"I can see your point," Jason said. "And Circuit would be the obvious choice, but that's a decision that really has to be left to Trip."

"I know," Billy began but was interrupted as Adam burst through the door.

"Trip's awake!"

General Hamren sat at his desk looking over the morning reports. He had heard of the Ranger's activity on the News this morning, the explosion in space, the intense fighting that occurred in Stone Canyon, all presented with little fact, and much speculation. He was finding that their department had little more to go on. The official report that had come back from the Ranger's automated response was that they had engaged Lord Zedd's Generals in an attempt to rescue friendly forces. The trench that was torn into the landscape that was discovered by one of the patrols early that morning, and the mixed reports that had come in of a large ship that had appeared in the sky late last night led him to believe that more was going on than the Ranger's were reporting. The UN was definitely too lenient with these children, allowing them to get away with incomplete reports of their activities. They were facing an enemy they knew little about, and it seemed that the best equipment they had was all but useless against them. But to allow these kids to run around playing superhero because they had the power to fight this enemy was just reckless.

The data recovered from Area Fifty-One might be able to give them an edge, if Captain Mitchell could put it to good use. And cleaning up the mess left by the incident with the Green Ranger's Morpher was coming along nicely. It had helped that few who had worked on the project had survived the attack on the base. The enemy apparently had left forces on the surface to take care of any who might escape. Despite initial reports a small number of scientists did survive, but died shortly after at their facility during debriefing. While the cause of death was still unknown Hamren was glad to at least have one situation handled. They lost many great minds, but he had what he needed. Now it was all up to Mitchell and his team of scientists and engineers.

His eyes caught site of the corner of a folder on his desk with the insignia of the Lightspeed Rescue Project. He pulled it out and glanced over the report. It seemed that with the new information Mitchell was confident that they could have working prototypes in a matter of days. Hamren flipped through some of the design specs and other test data, none of it meaning much to him. He picked up his phone and pressed a few buttons.

"Have Captain Mitchell call my office immediately," he said before he hung up the phone. "So what is it you think you've found Captain?" Hamren said to himself as he looked over the intricate design specs.

It was only a few minutes before the phone rang. Hamren answered it quickly. It was Mitchell.

"So what do you have for me Captain?"

"I think it would be easier to show you sir," Mitchell replied.

"You expect me to come out there?"

"Trust me General, you will not be disappointed."

"Then I will be on the next flight out, see you soon Captain."

Hamren hung up the phone and gathered his unread reports into his briefcase. He activated his intercom.

"Yes General?" his secretaries voice came through.

"I need a flight to Mariner Bay immediately."

"I will get you one, sir."

In a rush the General collected the last of his things and left his office. If Mitchell had truly discovered the secret to the Ranger's technology then he definitely wanted to see what he was able to produce with it. Maybe this breakthrough would even allow their representatives in the UN to suggest that the Ranger's be put on a tighter leash if they wanted to continue to have the support of the world.

Trakeena approached the door to Lokar's laboratory. The original doorway had been replaced by a high archway and twin doors carved with runes and other icons of Lokar's unique form of Arcanum. On each side was a knocker, the dark ring running through the head of some fowl beast. As she reached out to take hold of the ring the six eyes on the face lit red. She hesitated for a moment as the bottom of the knocker rested on the chin just below some large teeth. She stared into the triangular formation of eyes on each side of the creature's face. With a deep breath she reached out and took hold of the ring and knocked it against the door. The hits rang through the dimly lit corridor of the palace. The light in the eyes faded as the door opened slowly.

"Come in," Lokar's voice came from inside.

Trakeena stepped forward into the room. The door closed behind her with a loud boom. As she came into the room she saw Lokar standing before a table, a black cloth was spread over some object that lay underneath. The room itself was a sight she had never seen before. There were no furnishings except for the table. The walls however were covered in intricate carvings of great geometric complexity. Light streamed from the lines in a variety of hues bathing the room in a warm light. Despite its appearance Trakeena felt nothing but a deep darkness like an abyss.

"What can I do for you my dear?" Lokar asked, the table behind him sinking into one of the symbols on the floor. "Have you decided what reward you desire?"

"I need some way to accelerate the reproduction of my warriors, our armies were depleted in the fight beyond what I had thought and I am worried that we will be unable to meet the demands of our Lord without assistance."

"That needn't be your reward." Lokar said as a pillar rose from the ground with a small box on top. He took the box and handed it to Trakeena. "These will accelerate your expansion, but at a price."

"What are they?" she asked.

"These will accelerate the life forces of any creature that ingests them for six generations. These generations will be faster, stronger, more intelligent, even breed faster, but their life span is considerably shortened as a result."

"That doesn't concern me," Trakeena said with a smile as she looked over the black surface of the box.

"Is there anything else you desire?" Lokar asked.

"I had thought of one other thing," she replied. "But I am uncertain how it could be attained through magic."

"You would be surprised what I can accomplish by magic," Lokar said with a sinister smile.

"My Father was a great warrior, and while I have my Generals, I would like to be a great warrior myself."

"And here I thought you had a challenge for me," Lokar said sounding a little disappointed. "I will give you three spirits, great warriors from conquered worlds." In his hand three twisting orbs appeared; the swirl of tormented faces within each one. "With these spirits you will gain the fighting abilities of each warrior as well as the strength from each of their spirits."

"No consequences?" she asked.

"Oh, there are always consequences to power," Lokar said. "What those will be will depend on you."

Trakeena reached out her hand and received the three orbs from Lokar. As her hand touched the spheres they melted into her flesh filling her mind with images of death and torment as well as knowledge. There was a moment of deep darkness where she felt torn. Her world went black for a moment. She felt her body collapse to the floor; she could hear Lokar's laughter. Then, she could hear Lord Zedd laughing. Had they discovered her plans? As her eyes opened she found herself lying on the ground of a burning city. The monolithic structures around her appeared to be made of white marble, the artwork unlike anything she had seen in her years of nomadic wandering through the galaxy. She pushed herself up from the ground noticing that her hand was clad in an armored gauntlet of white gold and platinum.

"Looks like that one still has some fight left," Lord Zedd's voice boomed.

She whirled to see Lokar and Lord Zedd standing amid the flames of the burning city. Zedd was arrayed in his full armor; his twin bladed sword was in his hand. At their feet were the bodies of several other warriors all wearing armor that matched her gauntlet. Then as if possessed she found herself uttering words in a deep voice.

"Eltar will not fall to you as long as a single one of us draws breath." Trakeena voiced, though the voice was not hers. She rose to her feet holding a long double edged sword in her other hand. Long silver hair swept across her face in the wind generated by the flames as she faced Lord Zedd.

"Then Eltar will join the hundreds of worlds that have refused to bow to the Lord of the Universe." Lokar said.

Trakeena found herself charging at Lord Zedd though everything in her wanted to run from his fearsome presence. She gripped the sword with both hands trailing it down by her side as she flew at him, every step causing her pain, as if her leg were broken. As the two met Zedd parried the attack and punched his armored hand into her face sending her falling back as a shriek of screams echoed in her mind. She landed on her back with a heavy crash and slid until her shoulders smashed into the base of some steps. As she lay on the ground, her head resting on the first step, she heard a battle cry. Turning to one side, blurred through blood, she saw a group of warriors charge at Zedd and Lokar. She wanted to scream for them to stop, but was unable.

Zedd stepped forward into the first warrior as he approached, smashing his shoulder into the chest plate collapsing it. Blood flowed out from beneath the helmet as the warrior fell away. Zedd's blade fell through the group cleaving armor and warrior in two as if he were only striking at air. As three more fell, a sword came down on Zedd, but the warlord caught the blade and closed his fist around it shattering it and then ran the wielder through. The two remaining warriors hesitated for a moment, but Zedd showed no mercy. He cleaved one in half, the other he grasped by the helmet and with a twist and an effortless pull removed the warrior's helmet with his head still inside. The bodies fell at Zedd's feet as blood covered the ground.

"Is this it?" he asked raising the head to the sky. "Is this the best Eltar can send against me?"

Zedd cast the crumpled helmet away in disgust. Lokar began to walk toward Trakeena. She couldn't see much except for the robes around his feet swaying with each step. As he towered over her she rolled her head back staring up into his cold eyes.

"You will make a good part of my collection." Lokar said as he stretched out his hand over her body. Black tendrils snaked from Lokar's hand and pierced through the chest plate and tore into the flesh beneath. Trakeena felt immense pain, like something was tearing her mind apart. In a burst of pain something within her broke, she felt everything go numb. Her world went dark once again, she felt for a moment as if she was floating.

Trakeena opened her eyes to find herself on the floor of Lokar's laboratory. The black box she had received was lying on the ground beside her. She looked at her hand, relived to see her metallic insect shell.

"I assure you, you are fine," Lokar said from above her.

"What was that?" Trakeena asked as she rose taking the box.

"Latent memory," Lokar said. "I could remove it when I take a soul, but I find it helps if I leave it in."

"Helps with what?" Trakeena asked a little puzzled.

"To serve as a reminder of what happens to anyone foolish enough to oppose Lord Zedd."

Trakeena was uncertain if he suspected anything, or if he was always grinding the concept of punishment into the minds of Lord Zedd's Generals.

"Well thank you for your assistance," Trakeena said as she backed out of the room.

"Thank you for your service," Lokar replied with a dark smile.

Trakeena pushed against the door and slipped out of the opening, happy to be out of that room.

Trip was sitting at the table working on his second bowl of cereal, for some reason he felt like he hadn't eaten in days and even this second bowl was doing little to put a dent in his hunger. Billy was sitting across the table from him, while Circuit paced on the table catching Trip up on the events that occurred during his state of unconsciousness. The others were out in the main chamber getting to know their other guests. Everyone had questions that they wanted to ask Trip, but Jason had suggested they give Trip some room and allow him some time to get ready. Billy was allowed to stay with him in the event that he needed anything, or had a relapse from the strange condition that had plagued him previously.

"They also have a Molecular Assembler," Circuit said, slight excitement was in his voice. "I was able to use it to repair the Time Shadow and finish the upgrades we were working on before our emergency departure."

"That's good," Trip said quickly between mouthfuls.

"Then I was able to use their teleportation system to give Sean, Tiberus, and Vleks a proper burial. I also decoded several files from their archives and discovered that there was a wealth of historical information dating back as far as fourteen millennia."

"Wait, what?" Billy asked. He had been so distracted by the events of the morning he had never even asked Circuit if he had been able to decode those files.

"Those files you were unable to unlock were encoded with a standard Eltarian Encryption Key, the contained historical records on the early days of Earth along with technological data and information on key figures over the ages." Circuit replied. "It was very enlightening."

"I'll have to read those files later," Bill replied. "They sound interesting."

"They're not written files," Circuit corrected. "They are holographic recordings."

"What?"

"Near the end of the Sol War a new race known as the Kejimia joined the Ath'zyn Alliance."

"Wait," Billy said. "What are you talking about?"

"Zordon never explained any of this to you?" Circuit asked.

"I've never heard of the Kejimia, the Ath'zyn Alliance, or any event that was known as the Sol War."

"Oh," Circuit said. "Well it's all in the files, it's very interesting, but the Kejimia were responsible for providing the Ath'zyn Alliance with technology to open a microscopic wormhole through which images can be viewed, it's the very technology that powers that holographic system you have in the main chamber. Unfortunately all known members of the Kejimia were destroyed when the star that powered their Dyson Sphere, which had become their home world, collapsed suddenly into a black hole. The power output of this star had been used to run an even more elaborate form of your holo-display, one with the ability to look back in time by hundreds, even thousands of years. It was rumored that the Kejimia became so obsessed with knowledge that they caused the collapse of their own star trying to witness the origins of the universe."

Trip, his mouth full, made a sound of interest as he poured a third bowl of cereal.

"That's incredible," Billy said. "Who were these Ath'zyn though?"

"The most literal translation I can give you is the Masters of the Power, referring to the power behind the Construct that we have been calling the Morphing Grid."

"You're talking about the Morphing Masters?" Billy asked.

"You could translate it that way," Circuit said. "Have you heard of them before?"

"Zordon only mentioned them once, in connection with two powerful icons that Rita wanted, eggs that were suppose to contain unbelievable power."

"Oh," Circuit replied, his eyes widened. "Those are powerful indeed."

"What do they do?" Billy asked. "Zordon never explained, he just said the Masters had placed them adrift in a chest to protect the Earth from universal evil."

"He didn't know much more than that, information on the Ath'zyn is very limited before the emergence of Alliance when the records began. The only additional information is that these eggs are actually crystalline constructs, the true purpose of which is unknown. Though the one point of interest I found regarding these 'ancestors' is that the Ath'zyn claimed a heritage from humanity."

Trip swallowed his current mouthful. "Hey Circuit?"

"Yes Trip?"

"Do you want to interface with the computer out in the main chamber and let them watch the files on this point in history, just get them caught up with how things should have gone starting with the Green Ranger's appearance and working up to the present date?"

"I can do that."

"Thanks," Trip replied taking another bite.

"You sure you'll be alright in here by yourself?" Billy asked.

Trip nodded, he finished chewing and added, "I'm not even feeling full yet, and time crucial."

"Okay," Billy replied.

Billy rose from the table and proceeded out into the main chamber, Circuit looked at Trip for a moment, slightly concerned about his friend's increased appetite, but hopped from the table, wings unfurling as he followed Billy out.

"So how is he?" Jason asked as Billy came out.

"He seems okay, he's very hungry though," Billy replied. "It might be a result of what happened to him."

Circuit glided out onto the main console and perched on it.

"Trip instructed Circuit to let us watch what should have happened in the timeline up to the present." Billy said.

"That should be interesting," Jason said.

"I'm ready when you are," Circuit replied interfacing with the system.

The Rangers, along with Adam's friends, quickly sat down in the chairs that surrounded the holo-display.

"Now it is important to remember that the files from this period were largely compiled from the journal of a former Ranger and what news footage survived, so some visual material is a computer generated recreation based on what we know." Circuit said as an image began to appear.

A young man with short dark hair and brown eyes wearing a black shirt sat back in a chair after apparently activating some kind of recording device.

"I'm Tommy Oliver. If you're not me, then something is seriously wrong. This video dairy is a confidential record only to be viewed in case of an emergency. What you're about to see is a history of my life, my history as a Power Ranger."

There were a few whispers from the Rangers as to which Ranger this Tommy actually had been. They continued to watch as early events unfolded showing their selection as Rangers under Zordon. A tear ran down Kimberly's cheek as the display showed Zack and Trini. There were vague accounts of their previous battles which Jason, Billy and Kimberly all recognized. The account began to move into Rita's selection of the Green Ranger and the revelation that Tommy had been Rita's choice after seeing his fighting prowess against Jason at a marital arts tournament. Some of the Ranger's exchanged confused glances as events began to unfold showing this Green Ranger's attacks on the Command Center and the other Rangers and his eventual defeat in nearly the same manner, though the outcome had been very different.

"So that's where it all changed," Billy said.

Lord Zedd strode down the poorly lit corridor of the Dark Fortress toward the dull metal bulkhead before him. Lokar was at his side not entirely sure why his presence was required. As the two approached the door opened. The Psycho Ranger's heads snapped up surprised to see Lord Zedd taking the time to appear personally.

"My Lord," Red said with a token bow. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I am here to remove your leash. You are free to do as you please to the Rangers." Zedd turned and began exiting the room. "Lokar, remove their restraining nodes."

"As you wish my Lord," Lokar replied with a gesture. He turned and followed Lord Zedd from the room.

The Psycho Rangers looked around puzzled for a moment.

"That jerk didn't do anything!" Black protested.

Red suddenly clutched his chest. Something was tearing at it from the inside. The other Psycho Rangers also felt it, clawing at their armor trying to get at the source of the pain. Red fell to his knees as flailing tendrils burst from his lower abdomen. He fell forward onto all fours, the other Psychos almost perfectly synchronized in their responses. A black body began to emerge from the hole like some twisted spider tearing free from the opening. A vile yellow liquid sprayed from Red's mouth as he hacked and coughed, the pain was almost unbearable. As the node dropped to the floor it continued to squirm and thrash about in the black viscous syrup that the Psycho's had for blood. Red began to breath heavy as the pain subsided and the hole in his stomach began to close up. He reached down and picked up the node, the cyber-organic device's limbs continued to flail trying to get free from Red's grasp. A large smile spread across Red's face as he closed his hand around the device crushing it. A thick, dark green fluid ran down his arm dripping onto the floor.

As Lord Zedd and Lokar continued down the corridor they could hear loud, crazed laughter echoing from the room. Lokar grinned; there was nothing more beautiful than unleashed chaos.

Trip emerged from the makeshift kitchen. After his sixth bowl of cereal he had felt much better. Approaching the holo-display he could see that it was going into the final moments of Tommy's life as the Green Ranger. He stood behind the others and watched the history conclude with Tommy's return as the White Tiger Thunder Ranger. Circuit stopped the playback.

"So that is what I know as far as what should be in this period of history." Trip said.

"I've already compiled their history from the main computer and have noted the point of divergence from Earth's perspective." Circuit replied.

"What happened to cause all this?" Kimberly asked.

"Circuit," Trip said passing the explanation to him.

"At fourteen thirty-three and eleven seconds a temporal anomaly was detected that was thought to be a residual from a battle involving Time Force Operatives in twenty zero one. At fourteen thirty-four and two seconds the anomaly became unstable and the resulting quantum imbalance manifest somewhere in the late twentieth century. At fourteen thirty-four and six seconds our mainframe was able to confirm that that the redistribution of quantum energy had caused a chain reaction in causality resulting in removal of the existing timeline."

"Basically," Trip said. "Something outside our dimension entered through a time window and altered history."

"So where is this 'thing'?" Jason asked.

"We're not exactly sure," Trip admitted. "Time was limited, we only had about thirty seconds before the shift affected our temporal location, we didn't have time to completely analyze the phenomenon."

"So what are our options then?" Billy asked.

"Well," Trip began. "We need to locate the point of contact…" Trip suddenly fell to his knees clutching his head, his eyes shut tightly. The jewel on his forehead was burning a bright green. With a loud screen Trip raised his head upward, veins visible in his neck. His eyes opened burning with the same green light.

As Jason and Billy leapt to help Trip the light faded from his eyes and forehead and he fell forward. Jason immediately checked his pulse, the rapid beats he had felt before were absent. The two rolled Trip onto his back, Billy checked for breathing as Kimberly ran to the Medical Bay.

"Beta, Medical Emergency!" Billy shouted.


	10. Chapter 10

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-10-

Trip materialized in the Medical Bay as Kimberly entered the room. With a sudden gasp Trip's body snapped up into a sitting position. Kimberly jumped. Without a word Trip rose from the bed and began to walk toward the door as Billy and Jason were entering the room.

"What the?" Jason said.

"Trip?" Billy asked.

"He just got up," Kimberly said.

There was a moment where Trip looked at them with a lack of recognition, as if he were looking through them. Then, as if waking from a dream, his eyes began to refocus.

"Trip?" Billy repeated.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Trip said as he raised his Chrono Morpher and activated the built in communications device. "Circuit, prepare the Time Shadow, we have to leave immediately."

"What's going on?" Jason asked as Trip began moving quickly for the door.

"I got a message, or something," Trip said seemingly a little hazy on the details. "I have to go right now," he pushed passed Jason and Billy and exited the Medical Bay.

The three of them followed Trip out.

"This doesn't make any sense," Billy said. "Why do you have to leave now?"

"I don't have all the answers," Trip said not slowing as he approached Circuit. "I'll be back with help, I promise." He looked over to Circuit. "Circuit,"

"Right," Circuit replied.

In a flash Trip and Circuit vanished from the main chamber. Billy quickly rushed to one of the consoles.

"Beta, track the Time Shadow," he said.

"Compliance,"

The Rangers gathered around the holo-display as they watched the Time Shadow materialize in the skies over Angel Grove, the cloaking field already activating. With no visual left the display created an orange sphere in place of the vessel's signature, a small cone on one side indicated the ship's facing. With a quick turn the craft darted into the sky toward space.

"He's leaving the planet," Billy said.

In mere moments the Time Shadow was free of Earth's atmosphere.

"The speed is…incredible," Billy said.

"Wormhole detected," Beta announced.

The orange icon suddenly vanished from the display. There was a moment of silence; no one was quite sure how to react to the suddenness of the situation.

"Where did he go?" Ashley finally asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "There wasn't enough time to follow the wormhole's energy signature, he could be anywhere."

"Does that mean Zedd won't be able to track him either?" Jason asked.

"I hope so," Billy replied starring at the display, a red circle flashing around the last known position of the Time Shadow. "For all our sakes."

There was a moment of panic as her eyes snapped open. The light, even though it was dim was still painfully bright to her eyes. She squinted for a moment as she tried to get her bearings. She began thinking back, what had happened? Moments flashed in her mind, those burning eyes then the pain. Astronema's hands leapt from her sides and clutched her abdomen and chest. There were no holes, but she was certain… it had happened hadn't it? As she sat up she could feel something different, the contraction in her stomach was different. She slid her hand under the black cloak she found herself wrapped in along her stomach. She could feel her skin, but something wasn't right, something deeper.

"It won't ever feel normal," she suddenly heard Lokar's voice. "But it's better than death,"

"What did you do?" Astronema asked turning toward Lokar.

"I convinced our Lord to spare you, and not a moment too soon," Lokar replied. "Well I suppose it was not soon enough to save your whole body,"

"I'm a cyborg?" Astronema asked.

"The best we can make," Lokar said. "We used the Eltarian technology we gleaned from that Phantom Ranger. It will enhance your core strength and help with other abilities as well as make your inner workings more, durable."

"Why?" she asked.

Lokar starred at her a moment not sure how to take her question. "Why what?"

"Why would my Lord sacrifice me? And why would you, of all people, talk him out of it?" she said glaring at him.

"Those questions are one and the same," Lokar said with a cruel smile.

"Explain it quickly," she said finding her strength returning rapidly.

"Have you not noticed it once in the time since we've been here?"

"Be more specific, my patience is growing thin."

"Lord Zedd is not all knowing like we once thought," Lokar said with a grin.

"That kind of talk will get you beheaded," Astronema said, though in her heart she felt little loyalty for Lord Zedd at the moment.

"Don't misunderstand," Lokar said. "I know that my Lord's power is unmatched, but whatever foresight he once possessed is now gone, and I fear that his inability to acknowledge it will be our downfall."

"So why did you seek to spare me?" Astronema asked.

"Several reasons," Lokar said. "It would be harder to keep Ecliptor in line without you, the Psychos were your idea and only you truly understand them, but most importantly, I need an ally."

"For what?"

"To help ensure the survival of the Empire." Lokar replied. "If Lord Zedd is unwilling to have us search for answers and discover the truth of things, then we must do it for him."

"Can I ask you a question?" Astronema asked, her voice softening. "Why are you so loyal to Lord Zedd?"

"Because he accomplished what I could not after millennia of trying, he gave me a manifest body in this realm and I have no desire to return to the Astral Plane."

"Couldn't you do that on your own now?"

"No," Lokar replied. "Three millennia ago I came close, but the process could not be reproduced with me."

"What happened?"

"I had created a masterwork of spirit arcanery, spirits that could inhabit inanimate objects in this realm, they could leave the Astral Plane and manifest in other worlds. I tried to replicate their abilities in others, but it either resulted in failure or transformed the subject causing them to lose all their previous identity and revert to mindless destructive behavior, it soon became apparent that such abilities as moving between planes came with a price, and one that I was not willing to pay. So as you can see my child I am quite limited in how I choose to be in this realm, now will you support me in my endeavors or not?

"I will, but I have conditions." Astronema replied.

Lokar grinned. "Name them,"

There was a mixed atmosphere in the Command Center. Kimberly and Ashley had really connected with Aisha and Shawna and were discussing everything from clothing to favorite sports. Kimberly and Shawna were both passionate about gymnastics which was forming a fast friendship between them. There was even talk about teleporting out to another city to go shopping if thing settled down a little.

Jason was watching quietly while Adam was going over the Command Center Systems. Jason thought it was about time he learned how to use the computers after the incident the other day and Rocky seemed eager to be of use as well, though both Adam and Jason had told him that he would need complete team approval before using anything.

Adam was glad to see that Aisha and Shawna got along so well with Kimberly and Ashley, there had never been any real doubt in his mind that they would, but he had begun to wonder in the last few months before the destruction of Angel Grove if they would ever meet. It seemed even with all the hardship they had suffered some good was still left in the world.

Billy was sitting at his workstation going over portions of the data that Circuit had been able to decode hoping that maybe, in all these files he would find something of use. He had located information on many events that had occurred since the battle against Rita. There was reference to the Demons they had battled recently; they had apparently ruled the Earth for a period of time except for the Kingdom of Animaria which had been protected by a great power. Though after the Demons' imprisonment there was an upheaval as a race of spirit beings called Orgs had emerged within Animaria and a new war began. Unfortunately, no data existed regarding the present location of this ancient kingdom. As Billy looked over the data and reviewed parts of the visual records many of the ancient myths and legends of various cultures began to make more sense. It seemed that the wars between mankind began after the Orgs had been defeated. With millennia of fighting powerful creatures it seemed unlikely that some civilizations knew much else beyond war, so it was probably only to be expected that some cultures would use their war craft to build their own cultures. One thing that puzzled Billy was that with all these other wars that arose on Earth in the time following the final battle with Rita why were the Power Coins that Zordon possessed not used?

What Billy was more interested in, yet unable to locate in his search, was any record of the original war between Zordon and Rita that had left Zordon imprisoned within another dimension. He was also having trouble locating any solid information on Eltar, but he knew Circuit had mentioned something about it, so it must be in the files somewhere. As he continued to cycle through the list of files he came across several with names written in a language and with characters he could not identify. Pulling up a translation cue he found that the files were written in Old Eltarian, still the computer was able to translate most of the file names with a modern translation key. Billy could only speculate that Zordon had never intended anyone else to view these files and therefore no simple means existed for decoding them, or perhaps the translation key existed somewhere within the list of files.

Billy narrowed the list to all files written in Old Eltarian, there weren't many. Several of the files were small containing information about army deployment and some vague reference to Galaxy M51 and a power that required transportation. They appeared to be some form of formal communications to Zordon himself. As Billy continued to look through the rest of the files he found one that caught his eye, 'Sol War'. Circuit had mentioned it, but had never really said what it was about. Still, given the name it must have something to do with the ancient war on this planet. Billy accessed the file to discover several visual records as well as notes and other data. Opening one of the files he found diagrams of their morphers, or rather a morpher. The notes appeared to be written out on paper with notes; the form of the writing was unfamiliar to Billy. He continued to look through the diagrams; he highlighted a section of notes and activated the translator. There was a brief pause before the display returned 'Unable to translate, file needed'. Billy looked around through the other files searching for a file that might be a translation key. An idea suddenly sparked in Billy's mind. He set the computer to scan all files in every matrix and upload all relevant data for translation into the main array. He sat back and watched as the computer began running through all the known files looking for anything relevant to his search.

Within a matter of minutes the computer informed Billy that all files had been scanned and twenty-three new languages had been added to the database. Billy activated the translator and flipped through the pages on the morpher again, however the strange symbols were still unreadable.

Billy jumped as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing over here all by yourself?" Ashley asked with a smile.

"I was looking over the files that Circuit was able to decode for us, there's a lot of history and information in here."

"Anything useful?" Ashley asked.

"Well I did find this file on the Sol War, it apparently was fought here on Earth a long time ago."

"Sounds like a lot of reading," Ashley replied.

"Actually there are several visual files in here," Billy began to scan down the list, the names of some of the files now displayed in English. One in particular caught his eye. "The Green Ranger." He pondered aloud.

"What? The Green Ranger?" Ashley asked, her voice raising more than she intended. Kimberly and Jason both turned their attention toward Billy and Ashley, though neither of them noticed.

"There's a file in here on the Green Ranger," Billy said astonished. He suddenly noticed the files were dated; some of the unknown symbols must have been from an obsolete numbering system. "Here's one after it labeled the Last Day."

"Can we watch those files?" Ashley asked.

"I can pull them up," Billy said.

"Did you find something about the Green Ranger?" Jason asked walking over to Billy's terminal. Kimberly followed him over, standing off to the side where she could see the monitor.

"Billy has some old files from a long time ago with the Green Ranger." Ashley replied.

Jason suddenly became very interested. "Did you really find something on the battle ten thousand years ago?"

"It appears to be," Billy replied. "But I haven't watched any of these files yet."

"Can you put them on the main display?" Kimberly asked from behind them.

"Yeah," Billy replied.

The Rangers, along with the others began to gather around the holo-display again. Billy sent several files to run on the main display and came to join the others.

"We should dim the lights." Ashley said with a grin.

"Dimming Lights," Beta responded.

"I wasn't being serious," Ashley said.

"Leave them off," Jason said before Beta could readjust anything. "It's less distracting."

There was a flicker on the display as the file began playing. The teens quickly stopped talking giving the display their full attention. To the Rangers this was part of their history, their heritage, to the others this was a side of the Power Rangers no one else would likely ever see.

An image began to form of a white city, a construct of marble and crystal, that shown bright in the morning sun. The ocean could be seen in the distance with nothing beyond it…

A warrior clad in plate armor covered in gold and platinum was walking up the hill toward the citadel in the center of the city. The armor was form fitting yet still bulky with thick plating and large shoulder guards on which were badges. One was the image of a Phoenix intertwined with a Dragon, on the left shoulder were symbols indicating the legion to which the individual belonged and their rank. A regal purple cape flowed behind the warrior, held down in the wind only by the staff that was attached to his back, though no visible harness existed. The staff was a polished gloss white with a globe at the top containing a sky blue crystal sphere. From the frame of the sphere, which housed the crystal, three razor-sharp, curved fins extended to one side. On his left side a sword was strapped on, housed in a scabbard at his waist. The helmet on his head extended to the base of his skull and jaw line which sat below a raised neck guard. The face was exposed, the armored face guard raised above the forehead of the helmet.

As the warrior approached the large doors to the citadel two huge armored war machines stepped aside. The automatons stood just over three meters tall and were armored similarly to the warrior, but instead of rank had the letter omega on their chests and right shoulders. In their right hands each clasped a large weapon similar to a spear. Below the forearms large cannons of some kind were attached.

The warrior proceeded through the entrance passing the towering guards. As he passed large twin pods were visible on the backs of each machine. The doors opened slightly, enough to allow the warrior to pass through with a gracious amount of room. Inside the room was lavishly decorated with carvings and statues of great warriors and elements of nature. On the far wall was a waterfall that ran down and curved around a raised disc before being guided to the left and right out of the tower. On the disc was a small thin looking automaton. It wore a deep crimson robe with the letter alpha centered on the chest in gold. The thin neck tapered out to support a flat almond shaped head, though the overall shape was closer to a circle than an oval. The metal plating was curved and shown like burnished gold. On the curved thin face a small yellow point of light darted back and forth as the machine stood silently.

The warrior continued forward stepping onto the platform.

"I was summoned by the Masters," he said, his voice sounded very familiar.

"I will take you to them," the Alpha replied. Long thin fingers manipulated the placement of several transparent stones on an otherwise plain pedestal and the lift began to rise.

In moments the lift had ascended to the top of the citadel and stopped in the small room at the top. Around the lift were six podiums behind which stood six individuals all robed in white with hoods over their heads. On the fringes of the robes and hoods was golden artwork of the Dragon and Phoenix. Banners ringed the room with similar iconography, several depicted battles, while others esteemed attributes of great valor and courage.

"Masters, I present Lord Commander of the First Legion of the Armies of the Capital of Athellon," the Alpha began; the warrior knelt as he was introduced. "Zordon of Eltar."

"That's Zordon?" Adam asked.

"This was before he was imprisoned by Rita," Billy said.

Jason shushed them. "I can't hear them."

"You may rise," one of the six said.

Zordon removed his helmet and rose to his feet.

"How may I serve the Alliance?" he asked, his voice sounding more natural than the ominous booming voice the Rangers had known.

The six began to speak as one, "As you may have heard our warriors in the East were recently able to defeat and imprison Dai Shi, his forces are now scattered and many have gone into hiding. This victory has come at a high price and has left our forces in the East weakened. To help in this matter one of the warrior mystics of the new established Pai Zhug has created six powerful icons which use the power of the Construct to raise their warriors to superhuman levels using the spirits of some of this planet's mightiest creatures. Unfortunately, the witch some how learned of these icons and sent her minions to acquire them. Behold."

As they spoke a heavy mist began to form in the air forming an image of a large room. Statues of various animals lined the hall. In the center of room was an altar. On it sat a single gold coin along with several strange tools. Behind the altar through a pair of doors, which stood above a steep flight of stairs, two figures emerged. Both were dressed in Kung-Fu Gis, the three stroke mark that was the symbol of the Pai Zhug was over the left of the chest. The one on the right was an older man, his head clean shaven, wearing a blue gi with gold markings. On the left was a younger warrior with short hair and a green gi with black markings. As the two proceeded down the stairs toward the altar there was a sudden commotion coming from somewhere out of view.

The warrior in blue leapt down onto the floor. "How dare you profane this temple with your presence."

"Why are the oriental guys speaking English?" Ashley asked.

"The computer is translating," Billy replied. "The Eltarians and Ath'zyn weren't speaking English either."

From out of view two warriors rushed in. One, adorned in golden armor, was recognized by the Rangers immediately as Goldar, there was another with him though. He wore a black armor that was similar in design to Goldar's but lacked more of the ornate features such as the halo around the head and the design work on the plating. Like Goldar his face was also very cat-like in appearance, but was white with dark black strips that arced across his face like lighting. His eyes were a piercing silver and he wielded a pair of swords. The first was a long curved twisted blade with engravings marking the lower part of the blade and a red jewel encrusted in the hilt. The other was a straight double edged blade with twin clawed paws reaching from the hilt and gripping the blade, which he held inverted in his armored claw.

"That's the sword Josh had," Kimberly remarked.

As Goldar and the other warrior with him charged the two Pai Zhug warriors another figure could be seen coming into view. He wore a long dark cape over bulky deep green armor. A sword was held in a strange sheath on his back, as if meshed with the sheath itself. His face was not visible, concealed by long silver hair that came down over his shoulders and ran down to his upper back and onto his chest. He continued forward turning his back to the source of the recording.

Goldar and his associate clashed with the two Pai Zhug warriors. Goldar engaged the one in blue while the other took the warrior in green. The two Pai Zhug warriors were unarmed and at a severe disadvantage. The green warrior managed to dodge the black warrior's first slash with his long sword, but was back handed with the hilt of his smaller weapon sending him spinning to the ground.

"Burai!" the blue warrior called out as he deflected the flat of Goldar's blade with a palm strike.

Burai did not respond; he was motionless on the ground. The black warrior approached him cautiously, the curved blade across his chest as a guard, the other pointed down as he stood over the fallen warrior. The blue warrior threw a series of wild strikes at Goldar trying to put him off balance, but Goldar remained grounded, his armored frame absorbing most of the strikes before throwing a strong jab to the warrior's gut. With an expulsion of air the warrior fell at Goldar's feet.

The black warrior brought his sword down attempting to run the blade through the side of the Burai's torso, but there was a sudden burst of green energy like a phantom serpent that rushed forth from Burai's body. The discharge hit the black warrior like an upper cut sending him flying up and back. Burai suddenly jumped to his feet. Spiraling like a snake uncoiling he leapt into the air and landed a hard strike with both fists against the black warrior's chest sending him back into the altar.

The warrior in blue suddenly sprang up and stuck Goldar's throat using a mantis strike. Goldar stumbled back struggling to breath. The blue warrior stepped in placing a side kick square into the gold armored chest sending Goldar sliding along the temple floor.

These efforts were futile however. The third warrior had already reached the altar and taken hold of the small golden coin there.

"Goldar, Cirth, we're leaving." The warrior said.

Burai and the blue warrior rushed in, but in a flash of dark light the trio had vanished leaving only a black haze behind.

There was an exchange between the two, but it went unheard as the mist faded away and Zordon found himself facing the Masters once again.

"Since this incident the Pai Zhug have shunned the use of these icons as they can fall into evil hands and thereby strengthen their enemies."

"My lords how long ago did this occur?" Zordon asked.

"Nearly a month ago, it was useless to tell you sooner as the nature of the icon was unknown and the other five were ordered to be sealed within the most hidden of all the Pai Zhug temples. Now it seems that the Pai Zhug do not feel they can continue to hide the power from the witch and have arranged to have the other five icons transported to the capital where they hope we can protect them. Though to be honest Lord Commander we hope to use the icons to defeat whatever warrior the witch may send forth with the power she has stolen. We are also concerned with the recent departure of Lord Zedd and fear he may be gathering a greater number of followers for a renewed assault on Earth. You will therefore depart at once to meet with the Pai Zhug warriors who are bringing the coins from the cursed desert. But beware Lord Commander there are chaotic powers at work in that place that align with no known army."

"I would wish to take my son with me on this mission Masters."

"Unfortunately, we require his services here, should the witch attack while you are away he is the next best Commander we have. We will however send your Personal Guard and a squad of Omegas to accompany you. Now go, and may the power protect you."

"And you as well Masters."

The Alpha activated the console and the platform descended from the tower. The image stayed on the Ath'zyn a moment longer.

"What do you think of this man, Master Jeor?" One asked.

"I think he has had contact with the Dragon and the Phoenix." Another replied. "Long have we known this time was coming, it appears that Lord Tiamat and Lady Phoenix have chosen their Prophet to bring their power to humanity."

"Do you think that this means they will delay their coming?" Another asked.

"We cannot know unless they should reveal it to us, so long as the vessels for their arrival exist they may come when they choose, but we must remember that time is nothing to them, only the final outcome."

The images faded out and a new view entered the display, a black spire reaching to a darkened sky. On the top of the spire was a Palace Fortress, the look of which was very familiar. On the ground below gray golems scurried about like ants bringing in plunder and slaves from destroyed villages and mobilizing forces for further incursions. High above on the balcony stood the man who had entered the temple with Goldar and Cirth. His face was thin and ghostly, his skin a pallid gray. His eyes were dark and narrowed as he looked out over the activities below. Images of death were engraved throughout his armor, several skulls on which the jaws had been fixed open in a scream, hung from the left side of his belt.

Scorpina emerged from the darkness behind him. She took immediate notice of his countenance.

"Something troubles you Prince Rito?" she asked holding her right hand to her chest and bowing slightly.

"This bothers me," Rito said in disgust pointing out toward the Putties below.

"My Prince?" Scorpina asked not understanding what he meant.

"While my sister spends night and day on that infernal device our armies are reduced to pillaging these, these dregs of the human society, we should be attacking the Alliance, with Dai Shi defeated we need to move quickly before the Alliance has a chance to regroup and strengthen their defenses. If we still served with our Father in the Khoras Empire instead of allying ourselves with Lord Zedd we would already be at the gates of Athellon!" The Death Knight slammed his armored fist onto the black stone railing. "And just because she followed in his footsteps Father makes me her caretaker? And where is Lord Zedd? Gone! Left to strengthen his own position of power while we rot away on this planet slaving for his empire!"

"Forgive me my Prince, but I fear that the news I bring is rather urgent." Scorpina said nervously interrupting his ranting.

"And what news is that?"

"Our spies within the Eastern Kingdom have informed us that the other coins are about to be transported to Athellon by Zordon himself."

"Have you told anyone else of this?" Rito asked.

"No my Prince," Scorpina replied with a smile that betrayed her true feelings.

"See to it no one else knows, now get Goldar and Cirth and get ready to leave. I'll take care of my sister."

"At once my Prince,"

Scorpina departed disappearing into the darkness behind the balcony. Rito starred out at the sky for a moment as if lost in thought before turning and entering into the Palace.

The image shifted again showing the inside of Finster's workshop where both Rita and Finster were working on something. The object they were manipulating was out of sight, hidden behind scattered books and arcane paraphernalia.

"I think that has finished it my Queen," Finster said.

"Now all we need is a volunteer to test it on," Rita said picking up the object.

In her hand she held a golden box, the top was barely visible, but a circular indentation could be seen with a golden coin held inside.

"That's a Morpher!" Jason exclaimed.

"So Rita really did develop one first," Billy said under his breath.

"Quiet," Kimberly said.

"…And I don't think it would be advisable to test it on a slave unless we can guarantee that we can control him." Finster said.

"A spell of that type is child's play," Rita said.

"But, if I may my Queen, once the power is infused in him he might be able to break free,"

Rita pondered this for a moment, "Not if we tie the spell to the coin, then the more they use the power the stronger my hold."

"That is quite brilliant my Queen," Finster replied.

"It still leaves the matter of who to give the power to," Rita stood up and began to pace around the laboratory. "It should be Goldar or Cirth, but both are questionable in their loyalty,"

"If I may my Queen, Cirth is equal in skill to Goldar, but unlike Goldar he is more easily manipulated as you have already given him the Sword of Darkness, perhaps if you promised the release of their armies in exchange for the destruction of your enemies?"

"Perhaps," Rita said removing a small round mirror from the folds of her robe. She gazed into the surface seeing thousands of warriors behind her own reflection. "But they would also have to promise never to oppose my Father again. Otherwise it would not seem too convincing an offer. Still Goldar is bound to try and convince him that he is being used."

"But we could use the deceptive influence of the sword to create a rift between them," Finster suggested.

"If we preyed on Goldar's foolish pride and planted the idea of jealousy within the clouded mind of Cirth I think it could work out well."

"What would work out well with Cirth?" Rito asked entering the room.

"I have a task for Cirth," Rita replied. "One that I think he will excel at."

"But I need him to disrupt an Alliance supply line."

"Then take Goldar and Scorpina, you can even take Squat and Baboo."

Rito scowled. "Those two would only make my task more difficult, let them continue to plague the tribes of man, at least then they are out of the way."

"Then take Goldar and Scorpina, but Cirth remains here." Rita replied.

"Very well," Rito replied turning to leave the room. "I will return in a day or two,"

"By the time you return Athellon will probably be a smoldering ruin," Rita said taunting him as he left.

"I doubt that witch," Rito said under his breath as he walked down the hall.

"One more thing Brother," Rita said as she manifested a small crystal orb.

Rito walked back to the doorway not bothering to hide his impatience.

"Give this to Goldar," she said tossing him the orb. "Tell him it is a temporary gift to aid him as a reward for his service, and send Cirth to me right away."

"Yes sister," Rito replied turning his back to Rita and storming down the hall.

Moments later Rito entered into a large chamber where Goldar, Scorpina, and Cirth all stood ready to leave.

"There's been a change of plans," Rito said, his voice saturated with annoyance. "Goldar, my sister sends you this gift for your service," Rito tossed the small orb to Goldar. "Cirth, my sister has another task for you. She requires your presence immediately."

There was a moment of hesitation from Cirth as a large pair of black feathery wings burst from Goldar's back, golden armor was hinged over the wrist joint.

"You look like a flying monkey," Rito mocked. Goldar shot him a hostile glare. "She said they were only temporary though,"

"I think the wings make you look more fearsome," Cirth remarked, his voice was deep and noble, lacking the gruffness that Goldar's tone held. "Do you suppose this means Rita is pleased with your service?"

"I doubt it," Goldar replied. "The witch only gives gifts to benefit herself. Still, I hope they will prove useful."

"Cirth, I suggest you stop gawking at Goldar's gift and go see what my sister wants with you." Rito repeated.

"Yes, of course." Cirth replied departing.

"You could stand to learn from his obedience Goldar," Rito said.

"He still believes that your sister will someday release the others from the prison in which she placed them. I have no delusions of that kind."

"Then why are you even still here," Rito asked intrigued by Goldar's bluntness.

"My reasons are my own," Goldar snapped.

"Keep your secrets then," he said giving a side glance to Scorpina who nodded in understanding. "Let's go,"

In a swirl of dark light the three of them vanished. The image faded again and faded into an empty desert. Rock formations were scattered around the otherwise desolate landscape. A lone figure in a green Pai Zhug Gi was walking through the burning sand. In his arms he held a small wooden box overlaid with gold design work. The Rangers recognized him as Burai, the Pai Zhug member they had seen at the other temple when, what they presumed was the Dragon Coin was stolen. The warrior paused glancing around for a moment, then with great speed wrapped the box within a cloth he produced from his gi and tied the box on his back falling into a fighting stance.

There was a sudden disturbance in the sand as skeletal warriors emerged from the ground wielding swords of assorted bones, a strange purple mist, which was barely visible in the bright sunlight, wafted from the blunt blades. In a blaze of darkness Rito, Goldar, and Scorpina emerged behind their warriors facing Burai.

"This is it?" Rito asked looking around. "One warrior, this is the one they send to guard their most powerful icons?" Burai held his position giving no answer to Rito. "Kill him,"

Burai struck suddenly decapitating one of the skeletons with a round house before landing and striking another below the rib cage shattering the spine. He flung his body back avoiding a strike as one of the warriors slashed at him, his movement fluid like a serpent's. Landing on his hands he arced his feet up kicking the advancing warrior in the head sending its skull into the sky and coming down on another warrior behind him smashing the head with the impact of his foot and sending the fragments raining to the ground. As two more closed in he reached forth taking their sword arms and propelled himself over the two warriors tearing their bone arms free. Landing he slashed through a third warrior with the twin swords before flipping the weapons in his hands and running them through the backs of the two warriors; the dark energy of the blades tearing their frames apart before the swords crumbled themselves. More skeletons continued to come up through the earth adding to their numbers much faster than Burai was destroying them.

Burai turned to face his next opponent to find Goldar rushing in at him. With no time to react Goldar struck Burai in the face. Burai cart wheeled as he went with the punch and landed on his feet. Goldar moved in, but was blindsided by a warrior in red who threw a kick into his side sending him stumbling away. Goldar regained his composure to find that four other warriors had also emerged seemingly from nowhere.

"Wait, pause, or something," Kimberly said, the image froze.

"What's wrong," Jason asked.

"Who are these people? I mean I get that they're from this Pai Zhug group, but this video keeps jumping to the next big event, which is fine, but then we don't get any information on who these people are."

"Beta, display any information present on individuals in these records that we presently haven't encountered."

"Compliance,"

The display began to show figures from the records. The first to appear was one of the Omegas, the image spinning in the display. "Omega Mark Two, warrior class machine developed by the scientist of Eltar, used in military operations of the Ath'zyn Alliance. These machines were instrumental in securing locations as well as providing an untiring class of heavy soldier for patrols and guard duty. After the Sol War all Omegas were decommissioned. Omegas continue to be developed by the Eltarians." The image shifted showing the figures in hooded robes that the Rangers had seen in the tower. "The Ath'zyn; six mysterious individuals who emerged on Earth near the dawn of humanity, origins unknown, names unknown, ages unknown."

"That's sure helpful," Billy mused.

The image shifted to show the Pai Zhug warrior in blue and gold. "Master Nengaki Jeor, alleged creator of the Power Coins, exile of the Pai Zhug, commands the spirit of the falcon." Next the warrior in green appeared on the display. "Burai Koyomi, Pai Zhug candidate for the sixth Power Coin, Kung-Fu Master, commands the spirit of the viper." The display shifted to show Cirth. "Cirth, Fear Cat, race imprisoned by Rita in a dimensional pocket within a mirror, first subject to ever use a Morpher or Power Coin." Rito appeared next on the screen. "Rito Repulsa, Death Knight and Prince to the Khoras Empire, firstborn of Master Vile, brother of Rita Repulsa, some magical abilities, primarily conjuring."

"Who's Master Vile?" Adam asked.

"I'll look into it," Billy said.

The red warrior appeared next, like Burai his hair was cut short with a strong looking face and fierce eyes. "Ryou Saizou, Pai Zhug candidate for the first Power Coin, Kung-Fu Grand Master, commands the spirit of the crocodile." Another warrior dressed in a black Pai Zhug Gi with white markings appeared, his head was clean shaven with small features which were out of proportion with his large frame. "Sasuke Natsuda, Pai Zhug candidate for the second Power Coin, Kung-Fu Master, commands the spirit of the piranha." The display showed a warrior in blue, his hair was longer but kept back in a ponytail. His face was slim but his eyes held a deep strength. "Tsukumaro Kakeru, Pai Zhug candidate for the third Power Coin, Kung-Fu Master, commands to spirit of the gorilla." A warrior in yellow appeared next. He was a slender man, clean shaven with a serene expression. "Kai Sion, Pai Zhug candidate for the fourth Power Coin, Kung-Fu Master, commands the spirit of the spider."

"Gross," Ashley blurted out.

The screen changed to show a young lady in a deep pink gi with black trim. Her dark hair was braided and rolled into a bundle held in place by an ivory rod. Her face was thin, her skin glowed, but her eyes burned with a fierceness that seemed unnatural. "Lin Koyomi, Pai Zhug candidate for the fifth Power Coin, Tai-Chi Master, commands the spirit of the Jaguar."

"Is she related to Burai?" Rocky asked.

"Yes," Beta replied accessing the records.

"It's interesting," Billy remarked.

"What is?" Kimberly asked.

"That while it seems the color schemes of our powers were derived from the Pai Zhug, that the spirits of each coin were not the same as those possessed by the warriors selected. I mean I realize that it is unlikely that any dinosaurs are still alive at this point in history, but why Ninjor didn't use the spirits that were common to their order is interesting."

"From what we've seen though all their warriors have powers that I can't even begin to understand," Jason began. "So then it would make sense to choose a power you couldn't harness otherwise right?"

"I suppose it's possible," Billy said. "Maybe I don't understand something about the nature of the Power Coins, I would assume that they would enhance the abilities of the warriors just as we have our abilities enhanced."

"The only one who could have answered that question now is Josh," Kimberly said softly.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the Rangers contemplated that fact, while none knew what to say in response. They all had reasons for believing Josh was dead, but no one wanted to state it as fact.

"Let's get back to the visual records," Billy said ending the silence.

The display flickered going back to the freeze frame in the desert with Goldar and the growing number of skeletons surrounding the group of six Pai Zhug warriors.

With a surge of multi colored energy, phantom beasts broke free from the six warriors, carving lines of destruction around them. Goldar was swept back in a wave of black piranha, even through the armor he felt like he was being riddled with hundred of large knives. Rito halted his warriors advance for a moment, yet more continued to rise from the ground.

"Well this is certainly better," Rito called out to the warriors. "But you are hopelessly out numbered, surrender the other coins and you can die quickly."

There was no response from the warrior. They continued to hold their fighting stances standing in a defensive circle. Rito knew they wouldn't give up; he wasn't even sure why he bothered to offer them a shred of mercy.

Rito pulled a small ornate knife from his left gauntlet. As the blade slipped from its sheath a section of the armor slid open revealing a jagged symbol carved into Rito's flesh, a crude skull with curved horns that turned down and inward. Behind the skull was a triangle with the base line extended out beyond the points and another line extending from the triangle halfway up. With a subtle motion Rito slit another line in his flesh at the top of the triangle parallel to the others. Blood poured from the wound, the flesh on his arm began to smolder as a dark energy began to engulf his body. His eyes began to glow with a red fire. Then with a loud anguished scream Rito dropped to his knees. There was a sudden burst of black fire that consumed the skeleton warriors.

Then, emerging through the flames came four towering warriors of bone. Their bodies were human except for the claws on the hands and their heads had now widened with two sets of horns one pair twisting down and the other projected straight out the sides. Their bodies were consumed in the deep black light of the fire and their eyes burned with a deep green. Each held a large crescent blade at their side that stood as tall as the Pai Zhug warriors, which came up to the creatures' chests. Without a word the warriors reorganized, Ryou and Lin each faced off against one of the beasts, while the others formed into two teams, Tsukumaro and Kai facing a creature and Burai and Sasuke taking the last one.

"You plan to fight my Nightmare Fiends?" Rito laughed with amusement. "Let's get a better view my dear," he said taking Scorpina's hand, the two of them teleported to the top of one of the rock formations.

Goldar reluctantly ignored the battle and flew up to where Rito and Scorpina were watching. He had wanted to test his skills against these warriors. Still, if any survived he was certain that he would still have a good fight.

There was a tense moment of silence and then the warriors charged in. Ryou charged the Fiend leaping over the slash of his blade and striking his chest with a kick. He pushed off the chest, flipping backward and catching the creature in the head with another kick. The Fiend's head jerked back, but the creature itself remained firmly planted. As Ryou landed the Fiend swung again just missing Ryou as he stepped back. With a burst of red energy Ryou clamped down on the blade with his palms and was taken into the air as the beast finished his swing. Letting go of the blade Ryou sailed up into the air behind the Fiend. The creature turned as Ryou unleashed a phantom crocodile. The beast opened its massive jaws and bit down on the Fiend. There was an explosion of red energy as dark fire flew from the jaws of the specter. Ryou landed in a crouch in front of his target. With a roar the Fiend came tearing through the red energy catching Ryou off guard. With a slash the creature cut a deep wound into Ryou's left shoulder as he tried to evade.

Then the Fiend suddenly dropped to a knee, pausing for a moment. Had he hurt it? Maybe not enough to stop it, but he had done some damage, hadn't he? Ryou quickly tore the cloth from his sleeve and wrapped his arm in what almost appeared to be a single movement. With the blood loss slowed Ryou charged again at the monster. Red energy coruscated around him as his spirit beast formed again thundering as he approached. With an abrupt spin the crocodile whipped its tail around striking the Fiend and sending it into the side of a large rock. Ryou could hear the crack of bone as it hit. The monster staggered to its feet, black fire was dripping from its torso. As the strange fire dripped onto the ground it melted into the sand creating beads of glass where it landed. Ryou summoned his strength and charged in for a final strike.

Lin rolled over the blade of her attacker and threw a punch into the Fiend's stomach, a ghostly claw appearing over her hand as she struck. The Fiend tried to kick at her, but she danced gracefully around his attempts and with a sudden burst of light sent an astral jaguar flying upward into the creature's face. The Fiend staggered back and toppled over as the jaguar vanished. Lin jumped into the air spinning in a flurry of kicks and punches, each generating an aura of energy that grew with each attack. Coming down on the Fiend she struck and the chest cracking bone and sending a spray of dark flame out from the wound.

With sudden force the fiend swung its blade cutting into the pink energy of her spirit form. Lin stepped back feeling the sharp pain as her spirit was struck by the arcane blade. As the Fiend rose Lin suppressed her pain and sent a quick strike from her spirit unbalancing the Fiend for a moment. She charged in, the jaguar spirit forming around her with a roar. The Fiend managed to regain its footing just as Lin leapt slamming into the creature's torso. There was a loud crack as the ribs of the monster bent inward. Unexpectedly the creature dropped its weapon and closed its arms around Lin bringing her against its chest. Lin could feel the intense heat from the Fiend's body as it began to pull her inside its damaged torso, her spirit energy the only thing between her and incineration.

Inhaling deeply and raising her arms upward pushing off two massive ribs Lin managed to slip through the Fiends grasp. Landing on the ground she swept its legs out from under it. This thing was unrelenting, she continued to cause damage, but it still kept coming. There had to be someway to finally bring it down.

Acting on instinct Lin leapt at the large crescent blade on the ground and grabbed it as she began to spin in place. With a final cry of exertion she flung the weapon at the Fiend as it was rising to its feet. The blade spun through the air carving through the Fiend's left arm as it flew passed it and embedded in a rock. The limb fell to the ground sending up a splash of sand.

Burai and Sasuke both launched a spirit strike at the Fiend, the stream of Piranha and the strike from the viper doing little more than forcing the Fiend to step back. With no flesh to devour and no blood to poison it appeared as if their greatest strengths had been removed. The Fiend moved in bringing his weapon down like a club, the two jumped in opposite directions.

Sasuke landed and ran in from the left and threw a mid level kick into the creature's knee. At the same time Burai leapt from the left and delivered a spinning crescent kick to the Fiend's head striking the back of the skull and causing the creature to fall forward. Sasuke jumped back barely avoiding the creature's attempts to grab him as it fell. The two exchanged a nod before jumping into the air and bringing their full force down on the spine of the creature. Bone cracked and splintered, but the spine remained intact.

The Fiend lashed its body to one side throwing both the warriors onto the ground. With a sudden jolt it threw itself back to its feet. It slashed at Burai who managed to roll back, the blade missing his body by inches. Burai lashed out with his phantom viper entangling the Fiend causing it to drop its weapon; the force of its grasp causing small cracks in the rib cage of the monster.

While the Fiend sat helpless Sasuke took the creature's blade and leapt up, swinging the weapon with all his strength he decapitated the creature sending the head rolling off. The Fiend fell as Burai released his hold on the monster, the flames of its body searing into the sand.

Tsukumaro unleashed his astral gorilla striking the Fiend in the face and sending it toppling over backward. Kai immediately released a swarm on spiders spinning a web to contain the beast. The Fiend struggled for a moment before tearing free of the thousands of web strands that had formed almost instantly. Quickly coming to its feet the Fiend hurled its weapon at Kai with frightening speed. Kai dove to the ground rolling to one side as the blade boomeranged and returned flying at Tsukumaro. Tsukumaro clenched both hands together into a single fist and slammed down on the weapon sending it to the ground.

In this moment the Fiend ran forward punching Tsukumaro in the back. The warrior gritted his teeth as a forced breath escaped his mouth in a groan. Kai was quick sending forth a throng of spider forms that entangled the Fiend's legs. Tsukumaro punched the ground in frustration as he returned to his feet and turning toward his opponent before slamming a fiery blue gorilla fist into the monster's chest. There was a loud crack as bones splintered and black flame flew from the wound. The Fiend fell on its back in the sand as the spiders continued to entomb the beast in ethereal fibers.

"It appears that your Fiends aren't going to last much longer," Goldar remarked tightening his grip on his sword.

"Their not losing," Rito replied causally. "They're simply absorbing energy."

"What do you mean?" Goldar asked.

"Just watch," Rito replied with a sinister grin.

Suddenly a blast of black darts shot from the body of the Fiend catching Tsukumaro and Kai off guard. Kai attempted to dodge, but failed due to the abruptness of the attack. One of the darts pierced through his body puncturing a lung. He fell to the ground spitting up a small amount of blood. The Fiend tore free from its prison easily as if imbued with new strength. Stretching forth its hand it summoned its blade back to its hand.

Tsukumaro rushed in manifesting his animal spirit and threw a hard punch to the head of the creature. A wave of energy washed over the Fiend as it absorbed most of the strike staggering only slightly with the blow. With a whip of its body the Fiend turned back on the astral beast and tore into its otherworldly flesh. There was a surge of dark energy from the blade. Tsukumaro fell to his knees clutching his chest as he felt the same pain in his own soul.

With the tables turned the Fiend lunged forward with his blade to attack Tsukumaro. The blade was coming down on the helpless warrior when it suddenly stopped, held in place by a thick web mesh. The Fiend chuckled for a moment before turning and unleashing a flurry of darts. Kai leapt into the air doing a cart wheel trying to stay ahead of the darts, but was caught in the leg by one of the darts splintering his shin and nearly removing the leg just below the knee. Kai collapsed on the ground an expression of anguish on his face, though he remained silent. The Fiend unleashed another torrent of darts spearing his body through, his blood seeping down into the dry sand.

As the Fiend turned it was assaulted again being clubbed over the head by twin gorilla fists. The attack smashed the Fiend's head into the ground cracking the back of its skull. With a roar the blue gorilla began to pummel the back of the Fiend's head expanding the existing cracks.

Suddenly dark tentacles burst from the sand spearing Tsukumaro from below. There was a moment of dazed confusion from the warrior, his eyes opened wide, before he channeled the last of his strength and punched into the skull of the creature shattering it sending bone fragments flying in a spray of dark flame. With a sigh Tsukumaro fell, as he did the spectral beast also fell away fading into oblivion before it reached the ground. The Fiend began to dissolve into a bubbling black liquid that quickly evaporated.

Ryou staggered back as the Fiend slashed its blade across the upper jaw of his animal spirit. Fighting through the pain he whipped the tail around knocking the creature over. The Fiend quickly leapt to its feet and sent a lash from its hand wrapping it around Ryou's neck and pulling him forcefully toward itself extending its blade in an attempt to skewer him. Ryou twisted in flight and managed to only be grazed by the blade, the weapon cutting a gash across his abdomen. Blood ran down his stomach soaking into his gi and the sand as he landed at the feet of the behemoth. With forceful determination Ryou threw another sweep sending the creature off balance. The pain from his wound was intense, but not wanting to lose the momentum he still possessed he charged in manifesting his phantom crocodile snapping the massive jaws down on the Fiend as it staggered to regain its stance. There was an explosion of energy as the Nightmare Fiend was crushed and dismembered in the maw of Ryou's fierce spirit form. Black fire flew out from the jaws as the extremities of the Fiend were severed by the pressure and fell to the ground sending up a spray of sand.

With the beast defeated Ryou dropped to his knees, his body and spirit spent and unable to continue, his eyes closed on the battle that continued to rage around him, he could feel the blood still flowing from his wound and knew that if his friends failed he would perish. Still he had defeated his enemy, and that alone gave him comfort as he slipped into darkness.

Lin stared in disbelief as a burst of dark flame flew from the stub that once was the creature's left arm reforming the limb. Reaching back the creature took hold of its blade and pulled in from the rock. With a roar it hurled the weapon at Lin. In a burst of magenta energy Lin went forth in her spirit form leaping over the blade as it whirled under her before landing on the ground in a crouch, avoiding the weapon's return.

Lin launched forward pouncing on the Fiend and knocking it to the ground. She took a swipe at its face with her claws sending small bone fragments flying before leaping away, avoiding the Fiend's attempt to grab her. Lin landed on the rock behind the Fiend, turning in flight to face her opponent. As if unable to learn the Fiend again hurled its weapon at Lin. This time however Lin flipped over the spinning blade and took hold of the handle, in an amazing feat of agility, redirecting the energy of the weapon's flight. As she landed she drew the weapon up over her head and hurled it in a straight line at the Fiend. Too slow to dodge, the creature was cleaved in two as the spinning blade flew through the Fiend's body with little effort. The two halves of the creature fell to the ground searing into the sand as the fire consumed the bones. As the creature fell its blade faded away, unable to maintain its cohesion in the material plane.

Lin looked around; Tsukumaro and Kai were already dead. Then she saw Ryou lying on the ground, the sand a deep red around the edges of his body. Without another thought she leapt from the rock to Ryou's side working quickly to stop the loss of blood.

Burai and Sasuke watched as the Fiend rose to its feet, the head of the beast reforming in a blaze of darkness. With an out stretched hand the Nightmare Fiend called its blade back, the weapon tearing free from Sasuke's grasp.

Raising its other hand the Fiend sent a web on black tentacles bursting forth from its palm that entangled Burai holding him tight in its embrace. Sasuke summoned forth a torrent of spirit energy which twirled around the Fiend like a dark tornado. The small astral fish tearing tiny pieces from the tentacles with each pass until seconds later the tentacles snapped dropping to the ground with Burai wrapped in them. Free from the main body the flail like limbs began to dissolve as Burai pushed free of their hold.

In a sudden burst the crescent blade of the Fiend flew from inside the darkness winging Sasuke as it flew out past him. The strike to the young warrior cut a deep gasp into the upper right arm and broke through part of the bone. The impact spun Sasuke to one side as the blade arced in the air making a return trip. Burai saw the attack coming and dove to carry Sasuke from its path. The two tumbled to the ground as the blade whirled over them, just brushing against Burai's back.

The two warriors rose, Sasuke quickly tore part of his gi with his left hand and wrapped his arm tying off the wound in fashion similar to a tourniquet. He nodded to Burai and the two charged forward unleashing their astral forms. Again Sasuke shrouded the Fiend in the black torrent of piranha as Burai sent twin serpents forth which entangled the Fiend, twisting around its body from the feet to the head. The two serpents began to strike at the creature doing little damage to its exposed head.

The Fiend began to push outward on its spectral bonds. Burai could feel the strain on his own spirit as the snakes were torn from the inside. With a sudden gasp he released his grip on the Fiend, his serpents returning to him. As the fiend roared in defiance Sasuke redirected the torrent of ravenous fish down the beast's throat. The creature howled as the phantom piranha picked apart at its core. Burai took a knee and began to focus intently as the creature thrashed about trying to tear its body open. It dropped its weapon onto the ground, the blade sinking in leaving the weapon standing upright.

Then with a final act of desperation the Fiend lashed out with twin tendrils. One struck Burai in the left shoulder spearing through his body, the other smashed through Sasuke's sternum tearing through his heart and breaking out his back. Burai held his concentration despite the pain as Sasuke fell to the ground, his piranha fading with his life force.

Burai suddenly thrust his hands forward opening his eyes wide. A large phantom viper burst forth from his body, the width of the creature much greater than that of the Fiend. With lightning speed the enormous snake wrapped itself around the Fiend and with one strike swallowed the creature, the massive serpent vanished in a burst of green energy leaving nothing where the Fiend had stood.

"They did better than I thought," Rito mused watching the last of his Fiends meet its end. "Okay Goldar, Scorpina…"

Rito's words were interrupted as the hillside suddenly exploded as a mass of firepower struck just below where the three had been standing.

"Target lost, elevation off by point two seven four degrees. Correcting for wind" The lead Omega replied.

Zordon stood before six Omega warriors all with arms raised and pods opened exposing some form of projectile launchers all of which were fixed on the hillside where Rito and the others had been standing. With Zordon were five other warriors, his personal guard. Zordon placed his hand on the side of his helmet activating a crystalline plate that lowered over his eyes allowing him to magnify a given location or see through the eyes of any of the other warriors present. He couldn't see Rito or the others that had been on the hill, though he could see several fallen warriors in an open area to the left.

"Omegas, locate targets and eliminate, the rest of you are with me," Zordon ordered.

"Affirmative," The lead Omega replied as the six warriors began moving toward the dust cloud that had once been a rocky hill.

"Yes Lord Commander," his men replied in unison as the group proceeded toward the small group of warriors in the center of the battlefield.

As they approached they could see two warriors, one in pink and the other in green clothing helping a third in red who was down. When they drew closer however the warriors vanished from sight leaving nothing but a small object wrapped in a white cloth on the ground as if they had only be a mirage. Zordon approached with caution as his men covered him.

"Were those spirits sir?" One of the soldiers asked as Zordon unwrapped the small box from the cloth.

"No," Zordon replied looking around, he noticed that the bodies of the other warriors had also vanished. He opened the box to find a map resting on top of five small golden coins. There was an indentation where a sixth coin was suppose to be. "At least I don't think so. I think those were the Pai Zhug warriors we were sent to meet."

"So where are they then?" Another soldier asked.

"Their mission was complete, and I suspect they had matters to attend to with having lost some of their already diminished number to Rito's Nightmare Fiends," Zordon replied.

"What are Nightmare Fiends?" a young member of the guard asked.

"Trouble," another replied with a grim look.

"Nightmare Fiends are powerful illusions summoned into battle from the astral plane. They have no form when called forth outside of the illusion they wear. Their powers are weakest at this point, but they are indestructible and absorb energy from their opponents until Rito brings them forth completely from the immaterial plane. When this is done they take form and fight with the power they have gathered."

"How do you know they were here?" the young soldier asked.

"I felt them," Zordon replied. "When you have spent millennia practicing Eltarian Arcanum you learn to sense the movement of all power both great and small. Judging by the power I felt though it seems that Rito did not allow much time for the Fiends to grow in power, he must have anticipated our interference."

"Looks like he didn't count on us arriving so quickly," one of the older soldiers remarked with a laugh.

"Indeed," Zordon replied. "What concerns me is how he was able to divine any of this."

"Sir?"

"This meeting, the coins, somewhere there is a breech, a traitor among the Alliance."

"With all due respect sir," his second in command began. "There is the possibility that they have developed a new form of arcanery that has given them insight into these matters."

"That is possible," Zordon replied gravely. "But if that is the case then surely he would have seen the time of our arrival as well." There was a moment of silence as Zordon pondered the question in his mind. "No matter, this is a concern for the Masters to address, we have secured our charge and must see it safely back to Athellon."

"Yes Lord Commander." The soldiers replied as they mobilized.

"Omegas, status," Zordon commanded activating his com.

"Unable to locate targets, residual traces of dimensional instability, likely the result of a time space fold."

"Return to formation but maintain battle alert." Zordon replied. "They're gone," he said to his men.

"Returning as ordered Lord Commander," came the reply over the com as the lumbering war machines began their descent to the group of soldiers below.

"You wasted too much time," Goldar growled as he and the others materialized in the palace.

"Don't lecture me," Rito snapped. "I could kill you were you stand,"

"Try it," Goldar replied bringing his sword up and spreading his wings.

"Stop it!" Scorpina said getting between them.

"Yes all of you stop," Rita said coming into the room. "We have important business to discuss."

"I'm not in the mood sister," Rito said still brooding.

"Watch your tone brother," Rita said. "Your failure to obtain the other coins is of no concern to me, let Zordon and his pathetic Masters have the other five, they'll all be dead before they'll have a chance to use them."

"And what makes you so confident of that sister?" Rito said, spite still in his tone, showing no surprise that his sister had uncovered his true objective.

"We have a new warrior," Rita said stepping aside as a shadow behind her stepped forward into the light.

The armor was a deep green with a golden shield over the chest and shoulders. Around the waist was a belt which held a small golden box at the center with a taloned gold coin at its core. On each side of the belt was a dagger, one like a flute, the other like a strange weapon of a deep crimson with a small bladed tip. The mouth was covered in a silver liquid metal curved in a fanged smile that Goldar recognized immediately. The hands and feet still retained their clawed cat-like features. Goldar froze staring into the dark face plate surrounded by teeth as if the mask were the mouth of the dragon-like head.

"Cirth?" Goldar asked in disbelief.

"He is now our Green Ranger," Rita said with a smile, "And with him we will crush Athellon, destroy Zordon, and finally subjugate this world for the glory of Lord Zedd and the Empire!"

"This is it?" Rito asked half mocking. "For weeks you've been locked away in the workshop with Finster trying to unlock the power of that coin and this is all it produced? A single warrior?"

"This single warrior is greater than half our army," Rita replied. "And you will see that power unleashed against the Ath'zyn Alliance, now prepare our forces, before the sun sets we will open the gate and march over the ashes of our enemy's pathetic capital."

"Yes, sister," Rito replied walking out of the room. Scorpina followed after him.

"You should practice before we leave," Rita said to Cirth as she left the room. "We want you to have as much mastery over your new powers as possible."

"Yes my Queen," Cirth replied with a short bow as Rita left.

"What are you doing?" Goldar said striking Cirth on the shield.

"Don't do that," Cirth said hostilely grasping Goldar's hand and pushing it aside.

"Why are you bowing to her, the monster that imprisoned our people?" Goldar demanded.

"Empress Rita has given me a great honor to serve as her Green Ranger, I will not be lectured by you," Cirth replied pointing a clawed finger in Goldar's face. "You're just jealous that I was given this honor and not you."

"You are being used and you are too blind to see it!" Goldar roared. "She will destroy you just like everyone else when your use is at an end."

"You forget your pride as a Fear Cat," Cirth replied. "I have ascended above all those who have come before me. I am the pinnacle of Fear Cat evolution. Don't forget I also received the Sword of Darkness through the trial of combat not you."

"You disgrace us all with your blind arrogance. No Fear Cat would ever trade their loyalty for power," Goldar snarled.

Cirth lashed out with a sudden backhand sending Goldar flying across the room into one of the stone carvings that lined the wall. In a second Cirth was upon him, his curved blade drawn, manifested in an instant from the new armor he wore. He pinned Goldar with a knee, the blade held against Goldar's throat.

"If you were not my brother I would kill you right now," Cirth snarled.

"You're a traitor to your people," Goldar growled in defiance. "You're no brother of mine."

For a moment the two sat staring at each other, Goldar's face reflected in the cold black surface of Cirth's mask. Cirth's body shook as he sat upon Goldar, though what emotion drove this was not known from the hardened expression that was visible through the mask.

Then with a sudden jerk Cirth rose off Goldar.

"You don't understand," Cirth said coldly. "When we are victorious Rita has promised the release of our people."

"If you believe that you really are a fool," Goldar said rising to his feet.

"You are the fool brother," Cirth snarled. "And when this war is over you will finally see it." With those words Cirth turned away and left the room.

"No," Goldar said quietly, his tone sad. "When this war is over you won't be alive to regret the truth."

The image faded out opening on a terrifying scene on the ground below the spire. Rita and the Green Ranger stood before a towering ring covered in fiery symbols on a stone platform that came a third of the way up and dropped off halfway through the ring. Beyond the ring were vast armies of Putties, Skeleton Warriors, and Zombies. Towering over these forces were large jagged golems, some looked like small mountains with arms and legs. Towers and platforms had been carved into their bodies on which various siege weapons were mounted. High atop these war golems were also groups of necromancers and sorcerers working their dark arcanum in preparation for the coming battle. Higher still were a multitude of bone white airships, their long slender forms with giant bat-like wings protruding from the sides near the aft, hovered ominously over the ground forces below. Among the ground forces also stood Cyclopsis along with a large humanoid scorpion creature in golden armor.

The view panned around to show another airship larger than the others with twin sets of wings and six slowly rotating large stone rings that seem suspended around the midsection of the craft. On the bow of the craft Rito stood; his cape and hair blowing in the wind as he looked solemnly out toward the horizon.

Rita raised her arms for a moment addressing her forces. "My warriors today we march upon the capital of the enemy, to the very gates of Athellon where we will finally burn the Citadel of Iledion to the ground and claim the power of the Masters for Lord Zedd and the whole of the Empire!"

There was a loud roar of approval from the assembled forces as Rita turned and raised her staff. The inside of the ring began to cloud and darken forming a black liquid within the ring. In the skies above, Rito's craft on which the runes for 'Night Lord' were engraved upon the hull, began to advance forward, the other ships moving to stay in formation, as the rings increased in rotation sending off small bolts of dark energy. The intensity continued to build. Arcs of energy flew out brushing against the hulls of the other craft. With a final burst a cloud of dark energy formed around the Night Lord enveloping the rest of the fleet. On the ground below Rita and the Green Ranger stepped through the darkness within the ring as the remaining ground forces followed them into the darkness.

The image followed the first wave of Putties in, allowing the black glow of the portal to fill the display before fading in on a lone warrior standing on one of the central bastions of the inner wall of Athellon. His armor was of Eltarian design, though unlike Zordon's he had no staff, instead he carried a strange pod on his back not dissimilar from those mounted on the Omegas. His hair was short, a deep red in color, and shuffled slightly in the cool evening breeze. The sun was setting in the distance below the shimmering ocean's horizon bathing the white splendor of the capital in a fiery warm glow. The warrior's helmet sat on the balustrade, gleaming in the fading light. He took a deep breath in, the cool ocean air filling his lungs as he looked around the city fortress below.

"Commander Jaelen," an Alpha spoke as it approached him.

"Yes?" he replied turning toward the small automaton.

"There is an atmospheric disturbance to the West."

Jaelen looked out toward the main gate of the capital, but he could see nothing in that direction. He took his helmet from the balustrade before him and placed it on his head activating the crystalline display. Zooming in on the terrain beyond the walls, on the edge of the deep ring of trees that rimmed the field outside the wall to the artificially created mountainscape, that made passage into the city from the East nearly impossible, he could see a deep black mist forming.

"Raise the defensive barrier and sound the alert, then inform the Masters that the Witch is mounting another offensive." Jaelen ordered.

"Yes Commander Jaelen," the Alpha replied returning to its nearby station and activating a series of runes that seemed to manifest from the flat crystal surface before it.

The sky turned blue as four energy shields emerged, the first over the Citadel, the next at the inner wall, the third at the outer wall, and the final shield raising at the inner edge of the tree ring. From the many towers along the various walls, stone tops divided into sections and slid down as large spear-like crystals rose up burning with a deep red light. Single man flyers began to rise from the city, their lightly armored forms bearing some resemblance to a bird of prey's head. On the walls below soldiers armored in brilliant blue plate with gold trim similar to the Eltarian pattern, but seeming to draw from other ancient cultures on Earth lined up with an array of cannon style weapons forming into two man teams. Their helmets in particular differed in that they had an extra wedge that attached to the lower part of the helmet, stopping just below the eyes, giving their helmets a lip not unlike a pitcher spout. As the flyers began to move forward their pilots became visible through the open sides of the pods, they also wore the bright blue armor of those on the wall below.

"Who are the guys in blue?" Adam asked.

"Computer pause and indentify warriors in blue and gold armor."

"Soldiers are the human component of the Ath'zyn Alliance," Beta replied.

"So then all the warriors in silver are Eltarians?" Ashley asked.

"Affirmative," Beta replied.

"Computer resume record," Billy said.

"Wait," Kimberly said quickly, "Is Jaelen Zordon's son?"

"Affirmative," Beta replied.

"I wonder why Zordon never mentioned him?" Kimberly thought aloud.

"We might not have known Zordon long enough," Billy theorized.

"Okay, resume, or whatever the command is," Kimberly said.

"Alpha Three what is the location of our Air Fleet?" Jaelen asked.

"Fleet is en route over the Atlantic Ocean estimated time of arrival is twenty minutes."

"Did they really keep time like that back then?" Shawna asked.

"Pause," Billy said. "No, at least I doubt it, the computer has a listing of all the data from our era and that of the era in the record and is translating what they are saying into words we understand, it's the same reason we get subtitles when something is written in another language, if the computer can translate, it does."

"What was so special about that sword that that guy Cirth has?" Aisha asked.

"It was called the Sword of Darkness," Billy said. "It was a powerful weapon and tool for controlling others; it forced the Green Ranger to obey Lord Zedd."

"So why isn't Cirth being controlled?" Shawna asked. "The way they were talking it sounds like he is just being confused by it,"

"Maybe these Fear Cats are more resistant to being controlled than a human," Billy suggested. "It did seem Cirth was more influenced once he also had the Green Ranger powers. Largely though we didn't see a lot of the Green Ranger's behavior while he was under Zedd's control, but it does seem that they do retain their personality to a certain degree."

"Well whatever," Shawna said. "We can find out later if it doesn't say somewhere else in the movie."

"This is a historical record of an ancient civilization that was on Earth before any recorded history we have today by nearly seven thousand years." Billy said.

"Let it go Billy," Kimberly said with a smile.

"Resume," Jason said.

"Alpha deploy the Battle Drones," Jaelen commanded.

"Yes Commander," Alpha replied activating more runes on the display.

On the face of one of the mountains behind Athellon a large doorway appeared releasing a swarm of large flying discs. The discs were nearly four meters in diameter and had a large polished crystal housed in the center protruding from the top and the bottom. Around the edge of the disc were twin groves with strange runes engraved between them running around the top and bottom.

There was a sudden boom as the fabric of reality was torn asunder. Dark clouds exploded into life bringing with it an icy wind and rumblings like thunder. A fleet of airships emerged from the darkness and through his optics Jaelen could see Putties and Rito's undead minions pouring through on the ground below.

"Looks like a full scale invasion attempt," Jaelen thought out loud. "Alpha, send a communication to Lord Commander Zordon and inform him of our situation. Send the Battle Drones to thin the enemy airships and mobilize all Omegas for battle."

"Yes Commander,"

The Drones shot forward at astonishing speeds, passing through the defensive barriers as if they were not present. Within seconds they had come within range of enemy airships. There was a burst of fire as blasts of energy and strange blazing darts that seemed to track the Drones launched from the fleet. The Drones maneuvered using their impressive agility and their speed to avoid most of the fire, some were unable to maneuver and avoid the blazing darts which plunged into their crystal spheres shattering the orb in a fiery explosion and sending the husk of the craft streaking to the ground below. The remaining Drones closed to point blank range and opened fire, intense beams of energy flowed from their central orbs raking burning lines of destruction across the hulls of the airships.

In response smaller craft began to launch from the airships, like the larger airships these too had large wings on the side with slender bodies each housing a single warrior with some form of energy cannon mounted on the belly of the ship. The Drones converged on a single ship, the concentrated attack tearing the vessel apart in a torrent of fire. Using the cover from the explosion the Drone spread to two other nearby ships and began strafing their hulls.

"Alright Cirth it's time," Rita said nodding to her Green Ranger.

Cirth grinned and brought the dagger to his lips and began playing a melody that was too familiar to the other Rangers. The view shifted to the western coast near Rita's Palace. A swell of water rose as the Dragon Zord burst forth from the ocean and began moving toward the shore.

The view shifted showing the ring gateway still opened. To the left Squat and Baboo could be seen returning through a canyon toward the spire. Behind them was a long line of humans guarded by Putties. A rumbling began that caused the group to stop where they were; Squat and Baboo looking around for the source of the sound. Dragon Zord suddenly emerged from behind another large rock formation and thundered passed them entering the gateway. The view zoomed in on the two revealing their look of shock.

"What was that?" Baboo asked his voice raspy, almost as if he were hissing.

"I don't know," Squat replied, his tone was gruff, though not deep. "Looks like Rita is attacking Zordon and the Masters again."

"Let's go watch," Baboo replied, a growing enthusiasm in his voice.

"Good idea," Squat said. "Putties, take the slaves to the dungeon."

As the rock warriors continued to escort the prisoners to the spire Squat and Baboo began to run toward the open gateway.

In the skies above Athellon Rito's fleet was getting a handle on the Battle Drones. They had lost several of their craft to the incessant attacks and many more had taken damage. Their own fighters were having greater success in taking down the Drones, but missed shots were often causing more damage to his fleet as the Drones continued to skim the hulls of his fleet in their precision attacks.

On the ground below Cyclopsis and Scorpina had begun attacking the shield stones; small triangular crystal pillars around the base of the outer most shield. With a sudden roar the Dragon Zord burst through the dark clouds onto the island, its massive strides carrying it over Rita's army and into the forest where it joined the others. Goldar and Scorpina jumped back as Dragon Zord unleashed a blast from its plasma cannons super heating the crystal pillar causing it to melt. The barrier faded slightly but still held. Dragon Zord began to move toward the next pillar.

"What is that thing?" Jaelen asked the Alpha.

"Unknown. Structural analysis reveals it shares common traits with the War Zord Cyclopsis, however it is drawing power from a nearby source."

"Can you track that source?"

"Yes Commander. Frequency two two nine seven."

Jaelen activated his crystalline visor and adjusted the harmonic. He could see the target, a bright red spot on his display with a thin line tracing straight to the new Zord.

"Notify all forces of the new Zord and relay any useful information. Then assemble a team of Crimson Knights and have them meet me at the outer gate and activate the Kalidens." Jaelen commanded.

"At once Commander," the Alpha replied.

In the trees below hundreds of little smooth crystal objects began sifting to the surface and scurrying off toward the warriors that had amassed in the forest waiting for the shield to fall. Like a wave the small objects pushed into the line of warriors knocking down Putties and undead alike, devouring the Putties whole and the bones of the Skeletal Warriors and Zombies. The warriors scrambled frantically as the sea of crystal stones washed over them.

"Ew," Kimberly said as chaos broke up the formed lines and more warriors were dragged under the swell of crystal.

"Amazing," Billy said. "They're lithovores,"

"What?" Ashley asked.

"Essentially, rock eaters," Billy replied.

"It's still gross," Kimberly said.

"What's going on?" Rita shouted as the growing chaos reached her and Cirth.

Cirth looked around but was unable to see the source of the hysteria. Rita pulled a small orb from her robe and gazed into it. From inside she could see a small creature that looked similar to a trilobite, the bottom of which was lined with rapidly vibrating claws and teeth. She then saw thousands of these beasts moving along in droves consuming the bodies of her warriors.

"What are those my Queen?" Cirth asked.

"Another of Zordon's creations I'm sure," Rita said with disdain.

The witch raised her staff into the air chanting some incantation before slamming the base of her wand into the ground. A wave of energy rippled out along the ground reducing the small beasts it struck to a fine powder.

"We need to hurry and get through that barrier," Rita said. "Goldar, Scorpina hurry with those other pillars, I want this barrier down at once!" she shouted at the small crystal orb in her hand.

"That thing is Scorpina?" Adam asked in disbelief.

"Apparently," Billy replied.

"Now that is gross," Ashley commented.

Above them Cyclopsis opened fire with all weapons on another of the pillars cracking it open and sending a spray of crystal shards into the air. Scorpina quickly manifested her sword and struck repeated blows against the unshielded front of the pillar finally cracking the surface. As the field deteriorated she slashed through the icon carving it in two.

Dragon Zord launched another volley of plasma fire into a fourth pillar melting through it. The shield faded in the center providing a gap in the barrier which warriors began pouring through as Scorpina and the Zords continued to destroy the remaining pillars.

"All Omegas to the wall!" Jaelen ordered. "All forces open fire!"

There was a sudden burst from the men on the wall as sonic weaponry and energy blasts discharged into the hordes of advancing warriors. Above them the flyers streaked out onto the battlefield, twin cannons mounted under the hull firing rapidly carving up the enemy in a downpour of energy bolts.

Partially destroyed warriors continued to drag their mangled forms forward as more from behind trampled over them to get to the wall. Omegas had begun to rise from ports just outside the wall and immediately started firing on the advancing hordes.

Suddenly the outer shield fell completely and the war golems began to move into the clearing. Fire erupted from the towers on the colossi pounding the walls and tearing Omegas to shrapnel. The flyers began strafing runs against the stone behemoths destroying weapon emplacements in giant fireballs of arcane energy.

From one of the war golems' platforms a dark energy burst forth striking the ground causing it to tear open with a terrible earthquake. Twin headed beasts that appeared to be a cross between a wolf and a rhino emerged from the chasms, their bodies covered in black armored plates and burning fur. As these enormous beasts broke free from the ground they began persistently throwing themselves into the wall of the great city. The men on the walls were shaken with each strike and struggled to maintain fire.

In the skies above, Rito had finished off nearly all the Drones and the fleet was now descending toward the city bombarding the shield barrier and the upper levels of the wall in attempts to bring down the shield. Blasts of energy began to pulse from the crystal towers within the city setting smaller airships ablaze and sending them crashing into the enemy ranks below.

Rita shuttered as an airship exploded to the left of her the burning wreckage smashing into a war golem sending the beast toppling over raining fiery debris and burning embers all around her.

"Cirth I want that gate opened now!" Rita ordered.

"Yes my Queen!" Cirth replied bringing the flute to his lips and playing another strange melody.

Dragon Zord turned from its attack on the shield pillars integrated in the city walls and came to the center of the field, trampling all that did not move from its path. With a whip of its tail the Dragon Zord punched a hole into the gate with its massive drill head, the whirling blades shaving away the remains of the gate; soldiers where thrown to the ground in pieces as the massive tail sunk deep into the portico and into a number of defenders on the far side. As Dragon Zord pulled back there was bottleneck as all the warriors swarmed into the opening. Putties transformed their limbs into hooks to better assist in climbing over the others that were choking the gateway.

On the other side of the wall heavy weapon teams were falling back under cover of fire from several Omegas. Advancing into the fray were several large warriors in deep red plate with gold trim. The design was the same as the Eltarian plate except the slight variation in color. Each was wielding a large two handed sword inscribed with runes along the flat sides of the blade. Standing two heads smaller than the warriors was Jaelen marching confidently alongside them.

"Fall back!" Jaelen ordered pointing to one of the two porticos that led from the small courtyard into the outer city.

The weapon teams began their retreat as Jaelen reached back with his left hand to the pod on his back. He inserted his hand into the circular opening at the top of the pod. There was a sudden whine as rings spun and coalesced binding the pod to his gauntlet. With a final click the pod detached from his back. Jaelen swung the heavy weapon up and out in front of him drawing a line on the portico from the main gate which was overflowing with enemy warriors. With a low thud he discharged a black orb into the mass of enemies. The orb landed in the midst of the invaders just inside the gate. There was a sudden swirl of energy as a vortex manifested pulling all those around it inward and crushing them under an intense gravitational force. Small chunks of rock were torn from the entry as well, unable to withstand the intense force of the attack.

Using the recoil Jaelen returned the pod to his back and drew his sword as the pod unlocked from his other arm and reattached to his armor. With a shout he and the Crimson Knights charged into the warriors still spilling into the courtyard. The two forces met like opposing forces of nature. With a forceful strike the Knights swung their weapons tearing through Putties and undead as if they were air, the bodies of the Crimson Knights slamming into the enemy with a deafening boom. Armor rang loud as rock and bone met with solid plate. The Crimson Knights absorbed the strikes like stone weathering the rain. Jaelen held back, striking from behind these unmovable warriors. From his enclosed position he could already see that some of the Putties had begun scaling the walls from the inside and were hacking away at the pillars.

Jaelen raised his left hand to his helmet activating his com and shouting. "Alpha, order the marksmen to eliminate the enemy forces on the wall!"

Jaelen only vaguely heard some form of response over the clattering of armor and rock that reverberated in the courtyard and the ringing on the wall from the onslaught outside.

Narrow beams of energy began to rain down from the inner wall, parapets, and towers superheating Putties causing them to crack and crumble and rending limbs from the undead. Unfortunately the available fire power was insufficient to keep up with the overwhelming number of warriors pouring in through the gate.

The barrier flickered as the first of the pillars on the wall cracked. The wall shook again as the Dragon Zord tore into it with its tail trying to drill another hole, but only succeeded in gouging a section of the wall by nearly a meter. Cyclopsis launched another volley of missiles which twirled and danced through the air detonating along the upper part of the wall doing little more that scaring and blackening the surface.

The strange summoned beasts roamed the grounds impatiently occasionally throwing their massive forms against the near indestructible wall as Putties and undead continued to bottleneck into the tattered gate. Rita paced impatiently as her forces continued their onslaught trying to bring down the next shield.

Above, Rito's fleet was pulling up out of the range of the city's crystal towers while continuing to bombard the shield. Nearly a fifth of his ships had been lost. These had been mostly the smaller support craft, but a few capital ships had also been brought down from the initial volleys from the crystal towers.

"Prince Rito we have Eltarian warships approaching from the West," an undead deckhand reported.

"Bring the fleet around and prepare to engage," Rito ordered. He raised his right arm to his chest, a ring around a crystal sphere expanded freeing the crystal to rise slightly from his armor. "Sister the Eltarian fleet is arriving; I need support if we are to maintain control of the skies."

"Very well," Rita's annoyed tone came through. "There will be a price to pay for this brother,"

"The price will be far greater without him," Rito said coldly.

Rito lowered his arm as the crystal retracted and the ring tightened around it again leaving only a small section of the top exposed.

On the ground below Rita was already giving orders to her warlocks aboard one of the many war golems which still stood ready for the invasion. The massive creature stepped forward as Rita levitated to the pinnacle where a large obsidian pillar rose toward the sky. Impaled on the obelisk were the dying forms of thirteen people, blood running from the near lifeless bodies, too weak to even cry out. Rita began her incantation. The sky darkened as black clouds began to roll in from all directions. Lighting flashed and thunder rumbled as the warm glow of fading daylight was swallowed up by a terrible darkness that hung over the area like a fog.

Rito's fleet sat in a standoff against the Eltarian fleet as their vessels arrived, neither side able to see the other. There was a sudden bone chilling laugh and an earthquake that shook the island with such force that warriors on both sides toppled to the ground. Dragon Zord fell, crashing into the outer wall with a loud crack. Cyclopsis reeled back barely managing to stay upright. The war golems seemed the only beings unaffected as they held their ground, though some warriors toppled from the heights of the great beasts falling to their deaths on the ground below. On the walls men struggled to hold onto the wall for support, some dropping their weapons onto the ground below.

Then with a burst of energy that swept away the fog, a giant fireball descended into the sky above the city and with an explosion that radiated in lighting and fire a monstrous head manifested in the sky; lighting crackled from the quills that covered the head like hair, the dark eyes stared out with a sinister malevolence as a smile spread across the almost human face.

"Oh no!" Squat cried looking for cover. "She's called Lokar,"

"Why did I ever let you talk me into coming along?" Baboo asked looking toward the gateway, but finding that it had closed.

With a scream of rage energy surged from Lokar's quills tearing into the Eltarian fleet sending nearly half their fleet hurling to the ground as flaming wrecks as they returned fire. Lokar laughed with sadistic satisfaction as the return fire roared around him doing no damage. Lokar turned toward the city ignoring the rest of the fleet as Rito moved in opening up with all weapon batteries. The Eltarian fleet seemed to be in a state of disarray with some of the vessels engaging Lokar while others fired at various ships in Rito armada.

Exhaling violently toward the city Lokar destroyed the shield barrier and shattered portions of the wall shattering Putties and undead sending them onto the ground far beyond the wall. Lokar laughed again as if thoroughly enjoying the destruction he was bringing.

Then his gaze fell upon the warriors below him and the giants that strode along the ground toward the city. With a howling laugh Lokar began to send torrents of energy raining down from the skies falling on the fleets of both the Eltar and Rita and the forces on the ground below. A war golem was split in half as a large burning mass collided with the creature. The mountainous form crashed into the ground crushing many other warriors under its titanic mass.

"Break the obelisk!" Rita shouted over the deafening roar of chaotic destruction.

Two towering trolls with war hammers swung at the obelisk cracking the smooth black surface. Lokar roared with fury and the torrents of energy increased. The forces of Rita continued to advance through the destruction as hundreds were crushed and torn apart amid the shower of unbridled wrath. The trolls swung again smashing a large chunk of the obelisk and sending a crack through the whole of the spire. With a final blow the pillar fell.

Lokar screamed his defiance as the storm of destruction abated and the sky began to clear. Rita looked out over the terrain. Her warriors had been cut down, but many still marched forward toward the city, its wall now crumbling at the center where Lokar's attack struck. Dragon Zord and Cyclopsis both rose from the ground, blackened scorch marks littered their armor, but they seemed otherwise unharmed. Scorpina had vanished, but it was likely she had only returned to normal to seek shelter from Lokar.

Above Rito and his few remaining airships where bringing all their fire to bear against the last of the Eltarian warships. Rito's ship was worse for wear. The front left wing had been torn away and a hole had been blasted through the bow of the ship barely a meter in front of the bridge. Lokar's attack had taken a heavy toll on his fleet leaving few of his ships intact and those that remained were badly damaged. The Night Lord had several fires raging at various levels and he doubted the rift generator still was operational.

With a final volley of fire the last Eltarian craft burst into flames, fires spread over the lance-like craft as sections of the ship began to burst forth in violent explosions. The ship turned toward the ground as the antigravity ring exploded beginning its final descent to the Earth. The weapon pods housed at the aft of the craft fell free from the ship and tumbled to the surface like rocks.

"Is it over?" Jaelen asked rising to his feet.

Around him the Crimson Knights rose seemingly unscathed by Lokar's final attack, stone fragments fell from their armor onto the ground around them. Surveying the area Jaelen could see that the detestation had not been limited to a single side. Around them the wall of the courtyard was cracked and collapsed in many sections, scattered around them were the limbs and bodies of Putties, undead, and their own warriors, both living and mechanical. In the dimming light Jaelen could see that Rita's forces now held the skies, though it seemed a rather marginal victory given the condition of the remaining enemy airship.

Suddenly there was a massive explosion from the Night Lord destroying nearly the entire aft section of the ship. The large vessel twisted in its flight turning slowly toward the city as it began to rapidly sink from the sky.

"He's going to crash it into the city!" Jaelen shouted. He activated his com link. "All batteries target the Night Lord, destroy it! All ground forces get to cover and be prepared for hand to hand combat." Jaelen looked around to see the Portico to their right was still intact. "There," he directed as he and Crimson Knights took shelter.

As they ran for cover Jaelen looked back to see the Night Lord had successfully turned and was now falling fast toward the city. Energy blasts streamed from the towers tearing armor from the hull of the vessel, but the shear mass of the craft was too great. With an impact like a comet the city shook as the Night Lord plowed into the outer city carving a swath of destruction as it impacted into the inner wall exploding in a ball of fire as it smashed itself to pieces on the unforgiving defense. Cracks formed and the inner barrier flickered slightly, but the wall held. Fiery debris rained down over the outer parts of the city setting ablaze canopies, flags, and banners as larger pieces of debris blocked off streets and crushed building into burning rubble.

"Rito!" Rita cried out.

"I'll get him my Queen," Cirth replied running into the city.

He dodged through the masses of warriors that were still surging forward entering through the broken down sections of the wall to the left and right of the main courtyard. Above him Dragon Zord and Cyclopsis thundered into the city plowing through buildings with their massive strides as they headed for the inner wall of the city. Both Zords launched volley after volley of missiles reducing the crystal towers to ruins. Barrages of plasma continued to pour forth from the Dragon Zord setting ablaze all that it touched. Cirth turned right hoping the cityscape was not a maze of dead end streets. As he climbed over the rubble left by the wall he was suddenly confronted by several warriors, most of them in dark red armor, though there seemed to be an Eltarian amongst them. Many were engaged with the other forces that had gained access to the city, but these three stood before him barring his way.

Cirth froze for a moment staring at the warriors; specifically his gaze was fixed on Jaelen as if he recognized him. The moment was broken as Jaelen and the two Crimson Knights rushed in. Cirth quickly manifest the Sword of Darkness and parried an attack from one of the knights as he leapt back to avoid the other strikes.

"That sword," Jaelen remarked.

"You recognize this blade?" Cirth questioned

"It was entrusted to my father to guard," Jaelen said pointing his blade at Cirth. "I charge you to return it."

"That's right," Cirth said. "You're Zordon's son," he grinned, "His only son,"

Cirth leapt in knocking Jaelen's sword away and pulling his dagger attempting to plunge it into the Eltarian's throat. The blade came within inches, stopped only as the massive swords of the Crimson Knights crashed down on his golden shield. To the surprise of the knights the blades sparked and stopped upon the ridged surface. Cirth took advantage of this moment of confusion and leapt to the side knocking the face guard of one of the knights back and exposing its face before striking with his dagger. For a moment the cold metal face was visible before the dagger plunged into it with a loud crack. There was a discharge like blue mercury from the wound as Cirth pulled back. The Crimson Knight clutched his face in agony as he stumbled back falling to the ground with a clanging of metal plates.

"I didn't think any Engorians had survived," Cirth said with a smile. "The Alliance is certainly full of surprises. Now step aside,"

Jaelen and the remaining Crimson Knight rushed in swinging their swords in upward arcs to avoid the seemingly invincible golden shield, but Cirth stopped both their blades, the knight with his sword and Jaelen with his dagger.

Then Cirth pushed back against Jaelen throwing him off balance for a moment. Pulling his dagger back Cirth touched it to the Sword of Darkness and sent a powerful bolt of green energy into the Crimson Knight sending him flying backward into the rubble. A hole had been burned through the knight's armor and body. Jaelen struck at Cirth again, the Green Ranger just managing to get his sword around in time to block the strike.

"You can't beat me," Cirth mocked.

"We'll see," Jaelen replied bearing down on his sword.

In the citadel above the Masters looked out over the battle that raged below them. In the main courtyard they could see the green warrior engaged in battle with several of their warriors. With nods of agreement on some mutually understood thought the six turned away and entered the citadel. Gathering in a circle the six bowed their heads and raised their arms touching palms with another on each side. As they continued to stand there in silence a white ball of energy began to form in their midst.

Cirth brought his left arm around racking the dagger blade in a sparking streak across Jaelen's plate tearing a deep gash in the armor and nearly breaking through the Eltarian metal. Jaelen stepped back as Cirth turned and rose to his feet. The two stood facing each other for a moment as the battle raged around them. Cirth made the first move and brought his weapons together firing another blast of green energy, but Jaelen was prepared and leapt aside. As he did he reached back with his left arm, the pod locking onto his armor, and drew the weapon around, firing.

Cirth leapt over the attack as the rubble where he had been was collapsed into nothingness. The force of the pull was enough that it robbed Cirth of his momentum, with him just escaping the blast radius as the device detonated; he landed several feet in front of Jaelen and quickly moved in low with an upward slash of his sword cleaving the front of the pod from Jaelen's arm. Jaelen stepped back as the pod whirled unlocking from his arm and falling to the ground beside him.

Cirth stepped forward again unleashing a stream of blows from his twin weapons, but Jaelen managed to keep up, his expert swordsmanship enough to keep the Green Ranger from landing a blow. Cirth lunged in tearing a gash into Jaelen's cape as the skilled youth side-stepped the attack and slashing into the right arm of the Green Ranger. His sword had difficulty as it cut, as if the armor where repairing and adapting to the attack as it was happening. Jaelen spun off his attack putting a little distance between himself and the Green Ranger. To his shock the spot where he had scored a hit had not even been damaged, the polished green armor mocking his attempts.

Jaelen had little time to contemplate a strategy as the Green Ranger rushed in at him once more. Jaelen quickly dropped down and thrust both his arms up knocking Cirth's arms up into the air before rotating and slamming his hard armored shoulder into the golden diamond on the chest. Cirth fell over backward dropping his sword and dagger on the ground.

Jaelen charged in attempting to thrust his blade through the neck of his opponent, but with a flash Cirth had launched some form of energy from his hands, the blast impacted on Jaelen's chest knocking him back. Cirth quickly grabbed his blades and leapt up as Jaelen crashed into the rubble beyond him.

Jaelen quickly rolled away as a Putty attempted to smash his head with a mace-like appendage. Rising quickly Jaelen dispatched the Putty with a single swing of his weapon, the blade cut through both arms and the torso sending the four parts of the Putty to the ground. The head thrashed about wildly as the creature attempted to move its still animated body. Jaelen turned back toward the Green Ranger just as the Sword of Darkness fell across his chest, the blade ripping into his chest and abdomen cutting through flesh and bone.

Suddenly there was a burst from the citadel above. A white bolt of energy flew down striking Cirth. With a cry the Fear Cat dropped to his knees as the green armor that surrounded him vanished.

Goldar saw the Dragon Zord vanish in a burst of darkness and a horrible thought suddenly filled his mind. He scanned the battlefield with his scanners and located Cirth. Without thinking Goldar ejected from the cockpit of Cyclopsis and spread his wings soaring to where his brother was.

Seeing the Green Ranger fall Jaelen drew his sword back and thrust it through Cirth's chest as he fell with the last of his strength, the Eltarian blade piercing through the body of the Fear Cat as the two tumbled to the ground together. As they lay on the ground face to face Jaelen could see the burning hatred in the Fear Cat's eyes as the two fell into unconsciousness.

Goldar landed beside the two warriors pulling Jaelen off his brother and casting him aside, his body landing like a rag doll. Goldar shook Cirth slightly trying to rouse him. Carefully he pulled the sword from his body; blood began to trickle from the wound. Goldar frantically tried to close up the hole in his brother's body as each fading beat of his heart forced more blood from his body.

Suddenly the blood flow stopped. Goldar put his head to Cirth's chest, but was unable to detect a heartbeat. Goldar lifted his head unleashing a monstrous roar to the sky. He turned and saw Jaelen lying on the ground. Taking the Sword of Darkness from Cirth's side Goldar rose and walked to where Jaelen lay. Goldar could see from the slight movement in the armor that the warrior was still breathing. He raised the sword above his head turning the twisted blade downward pointing the tip at Jaelen's heart. Goldar's breathing got heavier as his eyes grew dim, rage washed over his face in an expression the Rangers had become all too familiar with. Each exhale of breath produced a snarl as Goldar's entire body began to shake. With a bellowing roar Goldar plunged the blade down.


	11. Chapter 11

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-11-

Goldar was suddenly flung from where he stood by an invisible force. From a nearby alleyway Zordon emerged, his staff pointed at Goldar. Around him his bodyguards were cutting down the invaders that still continued to pour in through the breech in the wall that hung open like a wound. Goldar slowly pushed himself to his feet as he starred down the wizard, the same wild look still in his eyes.

Zordon did not take his eyes off the Fear Cat for a moment, his steel gaze meeting the blood lust in Goldar's eyes. He knew his son was near death, but Goldar's enchanted armor was more than enough protection against his own wizardry, this was a battle he did not have time for.

"You've been defeated," Zordon said. "Take your brother and go."

Goldar made no response, but continued to stare with murderous intent at the wizard, his chest heaved with each snarling breath he took.

"Something has happened," Rita said in shock as the Dragon Zord vanished from the field of battle. She looked to see Goldar abandon Cyclopsis, leaving the powerful War Zord defenseless. "That fool," she muttered. "Spirit of Darkness,"

"Yes my Queen," came the echoing raspy voice as a shadow rose up against a tree. The form was barely visible in the twilight.

"Find Rito and bring him back," Rita said staring out into the burning wreckage within the city walls. "No matter what his condition,"

"At once my Queen," the spirit replied sinking into the ground. The dark form raced over the ground and vanished into the growing darkness within the city walls.

Rita looked around at her remaining forces. She still had Putties in vast numbers and many undead warriors. However, the armada in the skies had been reduced to a handful of airships and many of her war golems were now piles of rubble on the battle field. Scorpina had gone missing, and the Zords she possessed were now useless.

With a heavy sigh she raised the crystal sphere up before her. An image formed of a creature in black robes with a smiling ghoulish reptilian face. His eyes burned with a malevolent fire.

"Malacor, open the gate and recall our forces."

"Yes my Queen," Malacor replied, flames leaping from his mouth as he spoke adding a roar to his deep strong voice.

Rita looked around the field one more time surveying the damage her army had done. She glared at the Citadel of Iledion still cloaked in the radiant blue of the city's shields. She turned from the image of her contempt and began to walk back toward the blackened cloud that was forming beyond the trees.

Goldar could hear the fallback order as the crystal orb that was recessed into his gauntlet glowed a deep crimson. Around him Putties and the undead had halted their attack and were making a fighting fallback out of the city. With some reluctance Goldar's stance loosened. Staying focused on Zordon he walked slowly over to Cirth's body, securing the Sword of Darkness in Cirth's sheath he lifted his fallen brother into his arms. There was a look in Goldar's eyes that was unfamiliar to the Rangers, for a moment as he stared at Zordon it almost seemed his eyes were filled with a deep sadness. With a flap from his large dark wings Goldar rose into the air scattering dust out around him.

Zordon was quick to rush to his son's side. Two of his bodyguards moved to cover him as the last of the enemy warriors were falling back through the collapsed section of the wall.

"Jaelen, can you hear me?" Zordon asked.

"Ai-yi-yi, is he going to be okay?" A voice said from behind them. The words were familiar though the voice was not.

A smaller warrior stepped forward, his steps a little awkward. His armor was like the Eltarian design, but lighter in weight. The torso was mostly red with a glowing lighting insignia on the chest around which was written an 'A' in gold. The large shoulder plates were golden; one had lettering on it which the computer translated as 'Mark Four'. The armor over the arms and legs was a deep blue with gold trim. Red plating was visible over the hands as well. The golden head was somewhat saucer shaped, a deep purple light danced from side to side.

"Alpha," Billy whispered aloud.

"I don't know Alpha," Zordon replied. "We need to get him medical treatment right away."

"I'm contacting the Medical Core now," Alpha replied, his voice deeper than the one the Rangers had known, as he knelt down next to the fallen warrior. The left gauntlet plating opened as small surgical implements came out.

Some of the Rangers turned away as Alpha began sealing up the wound and reattaching arteries and bone as the tiny mechanical fingers and tools weaved through the cut.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Alpha reported. "Pulse is erratic."

"Please do your best," Zordon said, his eyes moistening as Alpha continued to work as quickly as he could closing the wound.

Several other Eltarian warriors emerged from the rubble deeper into the city. The two in front were holding a struggling Scorpina between them, her form now the human likeness that the Rangers were accustom too. Her hands were bound behind her, though by what means was not visible.

"Lord Commander, we found this one searching the wreckage of the Night Lord," one of the Eltarians reported.

"Place her in a holding cell," Zordon replied. "I'm in no condition to decide her fate at the moment,"

"Yes Lord Commander," The men replied escorting Scorpina away.

"Lord Commander," a member of the bodyguard began. "I understand your situation sir, but we are recovering from a massive battle we need you to focus on the task at hand."

"You're right," Zordon said looking at his son. Taking several deep breathes he looked to the sky gathering his thoughts. Placing his hand on the side of his helmet he activated his crystalline display looking over the damage reports and available forces. "Herigan," he said turning to the warrior who had just addressed him. "Get the Labor Drones and start replacing the shield pylons on the edge of the woods. The Terran Air Core will fly cover for you and you are authorized to commission the prototype Kalidens that are in storage to provide additional ground support. I will try to get you more forces as they become available. The rest of you will begin a sweep of the area of incursion for any dormant elements that might be waiting for us to lower our guard once the shield is reestablished."

"Yes Lord Commander," His warriors replied as they began to disperse.

"This is Lord Commander Zordon. You have all done well today, the enemy is in retreat, all available ground forces are to report to the barracks in their respective zones and begin sweeping the city for any residual enemy presence. The Terran Air Core will report to Captain Herigan in reestablishing the outer shield barrier. Crisis management teams should begin dealing with fires as sweeper teams secure their locations."

Zordon continued his commands as a lone craft descended on his location. The vehicle was primarily green, with an almond shape and fins toward the back, away from the pointed front. A door opened on the back as plating shifted out of the way forming into a ramp the vessel continuing to hover inches off the ground. Two men in green light armor plating ran out from the opening each carrying a black case, similar in appearance to a briefcase.

"We need to get him into stasis," Alpha said as the two approached.

"Right," one of the men replied. "Stand clear."

Alpha stepped back as the men placed their cases on the ground on opposite sides of Jaelen. The cases suddenly began to unfold in a mass of shifting pieces, strange tentacles like tubes began to slowly snake under Jaelen as others began to attach to the sides of his neck and arms. The plates began to slowly rise as they formed a flat surface under the body.

"Cardiotron is functioning," one of the men replied.

"Neoplasm infusion at thirty two percent." The other said checking a holographic display projecting from a device on his gauntlet. There was a brief pause. "Seventy four percent,"

"Is he going to be okay?" Zordon asked as he finished his communication.

"He'll live," One of the men said. "He may need some augmentation though."

"Neoplasm infusion is complete, he's in stasis." The other replied.

"We'll take good care of him Lord Commander," the man assured him as they escorted the hovering stretcher into the craft. The ramp retracted reforming the back of the vessel as the small ship rose into the sky and shot out of sight with incredible speed. The image rose above the burning sections of the city, fading to black and coming back in on the Lunar Palace on the spire before zooming in through the balcony.

Rita was standing at a table as a shadow slid over it leaving a burned body in green armor on the table. The blackened skull stared blankly at Rita.

"Is there anything I should prepare for you my Queen?" Finster asked.

"No," Rita said gravely. "This is beyond my power, only my Father is familiar enough with necromancy to bring Rito back now," She turned to the shadowy spirit that was barely visible against the wall. "Spirit of Darkness take him to my Father and tell him what has happened."

"As you command my Queen," the low hissing voice replied, the harmonics of its voice shifting constantly as it spoke. The darkness moved over the table once again consuming the body before vanishing from the room.

"What shall we do now my Queen?" Finster asked.

Before Rita could respond Goldar burst into the room kicking the doors open, his brother still in his arms. He brushed past Finster, knocking the small pale imp to the ground as he placed his brother on the empty table and proceeded to draw his sword pointing it at Rita.

"This is your doing witch!" Goldar roared. "My brother is dead because of you!"

"Don't talk down to me you gold baboon!" Rita shouted pointing her staff in Goldar's face.

The two stood there for a moment, their gazes locked. Finster slowly got to his feet and backed away from the two pressing himself against the wall. At that moment Squat and Baboo entered the room, Squat gave a startled cry. Goldar cast his gaze away toward him for a moment. In that second Rita fired a blast from her staff, the golden crescent sending forth a solid beam of energy that slammed Goldar into the wall causing him to drop his sword. Rita approached him continuing to push her strike against his body keeping him pinned.

"You will listen to me," Rita said scornfully. "Either swear allegiance to me, give me your word as a Fear Cat, or I will destroy you right now and you will lose all hope of ever seeing your brother alive again or your clowder freed."

"What's a clowder?" Ashley whispered to Billy.

"A group of cats,"

Goldar didn't answer but struggled against Rita's arcanum trying to get free from the torrent of energy that held him against the wall. Squat and Baboo ducked back out of the room, Finster followed after them.

"Make your choice!" Rita screamed.

"I swear allegiance to the Empire and the chain of command for as long as I draw breath, I give my oath as a Fear Cat." Goldar replied through gritted teeth.

"Good," Rita said releasing him. Goldar fell onto his knees gasping for air. "It's nice to know I can count on your support." She said turning toward Cirth's body.

"Until Lord Zedd returns witch," Goldar muttered under his breath. This apparently went unnoticed by Rita.

"Now to the matter of your departed brother," Rita said standing over the body of the dead Fear Cat. "Such a shame, he was a good warrior."

"That may be the first thing we have ever agreed upon," Goldar snarled as he rose to his feet.

"I can not restore his body to life, but I can bind his spirit to the Sword of Darkness," Rita said.

"And why would I allow that." Goldar said coldly.

"Besides the oath that you just swore, it will allow Cirth to possess the next wielder of the weapon, eventually, given enough time, the wielder would lose their own soul and Cirth would inhabit their body."

"And how would this new owner be chosen?" Goldar asked.

"Just like your brother, if a warrior shows promise they can fight in a trial of combat to earn it."

Goldar stood there for a moment looking at Cirth's body as if weighing the options in his mind. He removed the curved blade from its sheath and stared at the cold unforgiving metal of the arcane weapon as the light played off the blade. He looked up at Rita.

"Very well," he said handing her the sword.

Rita smiled as she laid the weapon down upon Cirth's chest plate. She raised her staff above the body holding it with both hands and began to move the staff head as if she were stirring with it. She started uttering some incantation as a dark swirl of energy slowly formed around the sword. Rita's eyes closed as she fell into some trance of rhythmic chanting.

Suddenly the witch's eyes snapped open as she pronounced the last word loudly and struck the sword with her staff. In a sudden implosion the black mist that was surrounding the sword was pulled into the weapon along with the body. For a moment Goldar thought he could see his brother's face reflected in the red glassy surface of the jewel. Rita lifted the weapon from the table and quietly left the room. Goldar fell to one knee and removed his helmet. His black main was flattened against his head by his helmet, the braided ends hung freely off his shoulders. His ears twitched slightly as he let out a sigh. Solemnly he bowed his head.

"Forgive me brother,"

The images faded out on Goldar and reopened on an obviously later time as Rita, Goldar, and Finster sat around a table. Squat and Baboo both entered and joined them, though for once they were strangely quiet.

"I could spend time explaining where each of you failed," Rita said looking around the table.

Baboo started to object but Goldar backhanded him in the face. Baboo held his face in shock, but Goldar only glared at him until he regained his composure.

"However, I have a plan on how we can finally be rid of Zordon." Rita paused for a moment. "We offer the Alliance a treaty of non-aggression."

"What?" Goldar roared.

"As a deception," Rita said condescendingly. "We will return this palace to the moon and send an offer of peace to the Alliance after a time of inactivity. It will not be too difficult to convince them considering the losses we have suffered. Then when Zordon arrives with his escort to accept our terms Malacor and I will banish him to the Astral Plane."

As she spoke Malacor stepped forward from the shadow where he had been hiding. His burning eyes were the first things to become visible as his robed form manifest from the darkness. In his hand he held an onyx staff with a polished skull at the top.

"Why not just kill him when he comes?" Goldar asked.

"He will be expecting that," Malacor replied. "I have battled against Zordon far longer than any of you and I know him to be very resourceful. He will undoubtedly expect a trap and will come prepared to destroy us all, we can only hope to take him by surprise if we act quickly and allow for no mistakes."

"Zordon defeated and imprisoned you once," Goldar said, his tone half mocking. "How can you be so certain we will prevail this time?"

"I learn from my mistakes," Malacor replied. "Something you should take to heart."

"This bickering is pointless," Rita said. "Your roles in all of this have already been decided, you will obey or you will perish."

"If I may my Queen," Finster began. "In our weakened state and with the loss of our Zords it will not be long before Zordon and the Alliance come to us to crush us anyway. Moving the palace to the moon also will allow us the luxury of being able to drop the atmospheric shield leaving Alliance forces without air should they come for us sooner than expected."

"How are we going to breathe then?" Squat asked.

"With these," Finster replied laying out several small stone orbs with runes carved all around the surface.

"And what do these do?" Goldar asked picking up one of the stones and looking over the symbols for any that he could recognize.

"These charms will create a small pocket of air around you." Finster replied. "They should give us enough air for a few minutes, which is more time than we will need."

"And what if Zordon comes prepared for this trap?" Goldar asked.

"Leave that part to me," Malacor said rolling a strange black coin in his fingers.

The view shifted to show the Lunar Palace above the spire. There was a sudden shaking as the palace began to break free of the forces of gravity and began to rise into the sky. Rocks tumbled down from the top of the spire smashing into the ground below. As the palace rose into the sky the image shifted again to show its arrival on the moon. The Rangers could see that foundation work was already present on the surface.

"So the palace started on the moon before coming to Earth?" Adam asked.

"Computer pause," Billy said. "Display any information on the Lunar Palace."

The computer switched from the current image to show a rotating view of the palace with schematics of each level running down the left side of the display.

"The Lunar Palace was previously a creation of the Lilarian built over a source of arcanum known as the caves of deception," the computer began, "A place of great power in which an individual's greatest fears were turned against them. When the Lilarian joined the Ath'zyn Alliance the Palace was used as a guard post for the planet Earth and was used to hide the 'record deleted'," the tone changed suddenly.

"That's weird." Billy said.

"At the beginning of the Sol Wars the palace was captured by Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. Several centuries later Zordon's Command Center on the Western fringe of the Alliance was destroyed by a new invention of Lord Zedd called a Zord. Just prior to the attack Lord Zedd departed leaving Rita Repulsa in command. After this Rita moved the Lilarian Palace to Earth placing it above the wreckage of the former Command Center. After Rita's defeat at the capital of Athellon near the end of the Sol War the palace was returned to its former location."

The image closed leaving the paused image of the palace settling back on its original foundations.

"So what I don't get is why is it that we use so much technology that was created by Zedd and Rita?" Jason asked.

"I'm sure it's been modified from the original concepts that they developed," Billy said. "But in reality that is a common trend, if your competition builds something you need to build the same things only better, war is no different."

"I guess I'm just having trouble with the idea that we're using technology devised by our enemies."

"The Power Coins weren't made by them though," Kimberly said. "So even if Rita figured out how to use it, the power itself is still good."

"That is true," Billy said. "It would be one thing if we were using the element of void, but our powers are from this source of elemental power and uses the good aspects."

"Do you really think these two beings they keep mentioning, the dragon and the phoenix, are real?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "Maybe they're just names attributed to the various aspects of the power that these six unknown individuals discovered."

"But they said Jeor had seen them." Kimberly said.

"They said they thought he had seen them," Billy corrected. "What I don't understand is if the energy manifest in some form, or again if it's just an attribute. I can't quiet account for the dragon element, but a phoenix is essentially a fiery bird. Maybe the energy looks like that in some state. Of course it is equally possible that these really are two beings of immense power from another dimension. Nothing would surprise me at this point."

"Well we could debate this forever," Jason said. "But I would like to see the rest of this before Zedd makes his next move. Maybe we can find some useful information in here, or clues to what we should be looking for in all these files we now have access to."

"You're right," Billy agreed. "Computer resume playback."

The image began to move again showing the Palace settling back onto its foundation. A large dust cloud rose from the lunar surface drifting high into the sky. The image faded to black and opened back up on the terrain where the spire once stood. On a familiar looking mountain top several large machines appeared to be busy at work cleaning up large stone fragments that looked unnatural in shape and formation.

"That must be the debris of the first Command Center," Billy thought aloud.

The view raced over the mountains to the valley near the coast where several other machines were lowering the inactive Cyclopsis into a deep chasm. Out in the ocean a strange hovering ring was out over the water. Large tubes were running below the shifting surface, though what was occurring was not apparent. The camera panned back and went deep into the forest to the North of the spire before descending into the trees.

Scorpina stood wrapped in metal bands running from her shoulders to her ankles almost as if she was cocooned. Her feet were locked into a stone disc that sat on the ground. Around her several Eltarian warriors stood in a circle near the mouth of a large cave. Zordon stepped forward, his helmet removed, his staff in his hand. To his right and slightly behind him was Alpha.

"Scorpina," Zordon began. "In accordance with the will of the council you have been sentenced to imprisonment until such time that your powers can be stripped and your mind rehabilitated. Do you have anything you would like to say before your sentence is carried out?"

Scorpina glared at Zordon for a moment before a smile spread across her face. "When I do get out of here I'm going to kill you all," she threatened.

Zordon nodded to his men who stepped back from Scorpina as he raised his staff. Zordon stuck the ground with the base of the shaft. A white energy flowed out from the staff like a river winding across the ground to the stone base Scorpina was standing on. As it touched the stone the base began to glow with a white light that slowly moved up Scorpina's bonds turning them to stone. The warrior continued to gaze at Zordon with hatred in her eyes as her armor began to turn to stone before spreading to her flesh; her poise forever frozen in a look of defiance. Stone began to flow up from the ground encasing her body within a large bolder. The energy finally subsided leaving a crude stone on the ground where Scorpina had stood.

"Place it in the cave," Zordon ordered.

The other Eltarian soldiers moved in quickly and began to roll the large boulder into the cave. Considering the size of the rock they moved it with relative ease. As the Eltarians entered the cave Zordon turned to Alpha.

"How are the rest of our teams doing?" Zordon asked retuning his staff to his back.

"Cyclopsis is being buried as we speak, and the modifications to the Dragon Zord that the Masters ordered are nearly complete."

"And the Command Center?"

"It appears the damage was total. There is no evidence that the lower levels survived Rita's attack. It will take some time to rebuild. We also found many people locked in the caves below Rita's spire. The Terrans are making a thorough check of the tunnels before demolishing the spire. And if I may ask, how is Jaelen?"

"Well," Zordon replied. "He returned to Eltar to receive some cybernetic augmentation," Zordon laughed a little. "He was determined not to let his injuries hinder his abilities; though it will still be several months after the operation before he will be able to return to the front lines, by then I hope to see an end to this war."

"There has still been no activity from Rita or her minions?" Alpha asked.

"None," Zordon replied. "She even allowed many of her warlocks and sorcerers to disperse; it's odd, even for her."

A tone interrupted their conversation. Zordon raised his hand to the side of his helmet.

"This is Zordon,"

"Lord Commander," came a voice over the com channel. "An envoy has arrived at Athellon on behalf of Rita."

"An envoy?"

"Yes sir,"

"Who could she have possibly sent?" Zordon asked.

"It's Baboo along with a small detachment of Putties, the Masters would like you to return immediately it seems Rita has invited the Alliance to negotiate a non-aggression pact."

"I understand," Zordon replied looking over at Alpha. "I will be there within the hour."

"Rita wants to negotiate?" Alpha asked.

"It's likely a trap, but it is an opportunity to gain access to the Palace."

"So we are returning to Athellon?"

"No, I need you to stay here and carry out the Masters' orders, this shouldn't take long."

"I understand Zordon," Alpha replied.

Zordon turned and began to walk away as the image faded out. The image faded back showing Zordon coming out from the gates of Athellon. The outer wall of the city had been cleaned and various machines worked rapidly building up the damaged area. The gate appeared to be recently hung as drones worked around the inner hinging and others polished the massive doors.

Baboo tried to hold his poise as Zordon approached but was clearly shaking in the wizard's presence. Zordon realized Baboo would never take the initiative to address him.

"I was told you came with a proposal for me." Zordon said.

Baboo did not reply, but nervously reached out his hand extending a scroll bound with a cord and a small black coin. Zordon took the scroll from Baboo. The image zoomed in to show the small coin swing as the scroll was passed and touch against Zordon's armor. The view quickly shifted to the wizard's eyes which clouded with blackness for a moment and then dispersed. The image zoomed back out.

"Is there anything else?" Zordon asked, his tone a little less patient.

Baboo shook his head and nervously turned to depart. Zordon's eyes narrowed for a moment as he watched him go. Then he turned and reentered the city, the gates closing behind him. The image faded away into black.

As the image faded back in Zordon was standing in his full armor, behind him a vast expanse of star speckled space was visible through huge display windows. He appeared to be standing on a platform at the front of a bridge of some space bound vessel. Before him were rows of Eltarian soldiers in full armor, at least one hundred strong. Zordon began addressing his army.

"My brothers in moments we will be descending to the lunar surfaces where we have been invited to negotiate a pact of non-aggression with Rita Repulsa and her forces. It is likely that this is a trap, so I will say again, if any of you wishes to remain on the Summoner you may." Zordon paused for a moment, but the soldiers before him were unmoving. "It is also likely that even if her desire for this pact is genuine it will not be honored by the rest of Lord Zedd's Empire. If the witch shows any sign of treachery, no matter how small we have been granted authority by the Masters to capture her and retake the Palace. Because of the small passageways of the Lilarian Palace we will be unable to bring any Omegas, so each of you will be given a storage pod containing two Kaliden Mark Twos. These newer models have been keyed to you armor's battle system and will follow direct visual commands like the Omegas as well as verbal commands. In addition your armor has been upgraded with Rune Bane Plating which should offer considerably more protection against arcane attacks."

Behind Zordon a life size holographic image appeared of Rita.

"Rita Repulsa is our main concern, but her remaining forces, that we are aware of, are," the image shifted as he spoke. "Goldar, a Fear Cat, possibly the last of his race left in the universe, he has recently acquired wings allowing him sustained flight and may have gained possession of the Sword of Darkness with his brother's passing, and possibly the power of the Dragon Power Coin. He is a powerful warrior even without these things. Next is Malacor the Deceiver, a powerful wizard capable of bringing illusions to life, next to Rita his command of sorcery is unmatched. The Spirit of Darkness, while not a creature able to directly engage in combat, it has the ability to slip between dimensions and open temporary pathways. Squat the goblin, while his combat abilities are below average, he does possess great strength and a love for explosive devices. Baboo, an abomination of sorcery, part spider part vampire, along with Squat these two have made a habit on preying on the tribes of humanity, again his combat potential is small, but he is dangerous when it comes to stealth attacks. Finster, while having no combat abilities, that have been observed to date, is a genius when it comes to arcanum and inventing. However, his own magical abilities are relatively weak. Information concerning Rito's status is not available; it is unknown if he survived the attack on Athellon or if he is even still with his sister. Therefore we will assume that he is. Rito is an expert with a sword and also possess a degree of necromancy. It is therefore likely that we will face his undead warriors as well as Rita's Putties."

The display next to Zordon turned off.

"If there are no questions then report to your drop ships and prepare for departure." There was a moment of silence as he waited for any input from his men. "May the power protect you."

The soldiers began to file out of the room by squads departing for their drop ships. As the men left the room Zordon turned toward the forward window looking out toward the moon and the Lilarian Palace as the Eltarian craft approached. The image faded to an outside view of the vessel, the Summoner. The craft moved silently through the void cloaked in the darkness of space, the lance like body barely visible at it continued its approach.

Coming in closer to the moon the craft broke free of the Earth's shadow and its silver and gold frame shone with resplendent glory. The hull was covered in over lapping armor plates like massive feathers or scales. The prow of the ship came to a hooked point like the beak of a bird, with the rest of the ship expanding in a rough cone shape behind. Toward the back, weapons decks rose from the basic form giving the back end a higher profile. Behind this section a large ring rotated around the craft apparently suspended in place by some unseen force. Below, on either side of the craft were twin pods nearly a quarter the size of the main body housing multiple weapon batteries. No visible thrust was propelling the star ship as it continued to accelerate toward its target. Below the palace came into view, the massive battleship nearly the size of the Palace's main tower.

There was a sudden burst of light as ten small spheroid crafts launched from the forward belly of the Summoner and raced toward the palace. Within a minute of departure the drop ships had reached the palace gates hovering before them. Moments later the massive gates began to open and the ships landed within the main hall at the base of the palace. As the gate closed behind them the crafts spun, opening in the center allowing the men to immediately disembark while the pilot remained in the swiveling pod at the top of the crafts.

There was a clattering of armor as the soldiers quickly filed into rank creating two rows, each fifty strong. Zordon walked confidently through the soldiers taking his place at the front between the two rows.

"So this is how the Alliance comes to negotiate peace, in a show of armed force." A voice said from the far end of the corridor.

As Zordon looked out he could see a figure robed in black and at once recognized his old rival.

"When you are involved Malacor," Zordon said. "One can never be too careful."

"Why so bitter my old friend?" Malacor said as he proceeded across the hall toward Zordon and his men. "You're not still upset that you were always second best at the Academy are you? Or was it that time my illusions killed your dear Alithena?"

"The only thing I would have to be bitter about is if I allowed your infantile quest for power to cause me to take the same road you now travel Deceiver," Zordon replied.

"You always were the noble one," Malacor said with a grin. "I can see however, we really have nothing to discuss so if you and your men will accompany me we can get this formality out of the way. After all, I'm sure you're a busy man."

Malacor turned and began to walk back the way he came as Zordon and his men fell in behind him. Unseen to Zordon or his men, Malacor smiled with some sense of satisfaction as they left the main hall.

The group proceeded through a series of hallways and winding stairs until at last they came to the observation deck. Rita stood at the far end by the balcony. A table had been set out before Rita on which several pieces of parchment and a small shaft of white bone that was most likely some form of writing device rested. To her left stood Goldar who was holding Rita's staff and behind him were Finster, Squat, and Baboo. There was no sign of any Putties.

Zordon approached the table as Malacor took his place at Rita's right. Stopping at the foot of the table Zordon removed his helmet and placed it on the black stone slab. Goldar pulled Rita's chair out as the witch sat down. Zordon pulled his own chair out also taking a seat, keeping an eye on Rita.

"Your Palace seems rather empty," Zordon remarked.

"A show of good faith," Rita replied. "Forgive my brother for not being present, he was gravely wounded and was taken to my Father to ensure his survival."

"How convenient," Zordon replied.

"If you wish to search the palace before we begin you are certainly free too," Rita replied.

"That would be a waste of time, if you are sincere then my return to the Alliance with the treaty will be proof of that, but we both know you're too intelligent to leave any obvious evidence of a trap."

"That is true," Rita said. "My ways are often more subtle."

Zordon suddenly noticed that Goldar braced himself. The wizard pushed back from the table about to yell to his men as he reached for his staff. As he turned he could see his soldiers were already going for their weapons as they saw him leap up.

There was a sudden decompression as the atmospheric shield turned off. Bulkheads began to close off the observation deck, but for some reason the balcony remained open. The sudden burst of air was enough to throw the Eltarians off balance while Rita spun out of her chair and took her staff from Goldar.

The Eltarian soldiers were thrown into panic as they realized that there was no air left in the room. Some ran for the bulk head doors trying to pry them open while others looked about frantically for another way to escape. Malacor grinned and tapped his staff on the ground. Zordon shook his head as if something had been caught in his eye. Malacor's mouth moved, though no sound could be heard in the vacuum. A subtitle appeared across the bottom reading. 'Now you see how truly blinded you were'.

Rita and Malacor both began to swirl their staffs in the air, their mouths moving presumably reciting some incantation. Zordon slammed his staff on the ground generating a small pocket of air for him and his men; they all suddenly inhaled deeply. Sound returned as shouts of alarm could be heard accompanied by the sound of armor crashing into the heavy doors.

Rita and Malcor's words suddenly became audible as they continued to recite their incantation. Zordon stepped forward quickly as the last word was uttered. Malacor and Rita clashed their staffs together as Zordon took hold of Malacor and threw a small stone container overlaid in brass on the ground before Rita and her minions. The lid had a small round jewel embedded on the top with strange rune work engraved around the outer rim.

A swirl of dark mist formed around Zordon pulling him back as Malacor began to pull free from his grip. With a sudden burst he lunged forward with all his strength and locked his right arm around Malacor's neck. With the staff in his left hand Zordon struck the small container. Malacor struggled in Zordon's grasp, but found himself unable to get free of the wizard's crushing hold.

"Varithezyn!" he shouted as his staff made contact.

The container suddenly swelled in size as the jewel lit with a burning crimson light. Arcing bolts of red energy surged out wrapping around Rita, Goldar, Finster, Squat, and Baboo.

"You fool!" Malacor screamed as he thrashed about in a final attempt. "Your arcanum has unbalanced the portal, it could kill us both!"

Zordon ignored Malacor as both were pulled back violently as the mist seemed to tear away into a swirling vortex. Deep within the maelstrom were multiple points of purple light. As Zordon fell into the maw of the storm he and Malacor were separated by the raging torrents of energy and vanished into the darkness toward different points of light. Rita and her forces struggled against the arcane crimson web that pulled at them as the other Eltarians looked on in disbelief.

In a sudden burst of red light Rita and her minions vanished, the red light collapsing back in on the orb atop the jar. The runes lining the rim of the lid glowed a bright gold as a spark of energy raced around the lid once. Then all was silent. The soldiers stood at a loss for a moment unsure of what had just occurred. Then the silence was broken.

"We need to get this door open before this pocket of air vanishes," one of the men said. "Everyone deploy your Kalidens."

The image faded out as the small crystalline creatures began to bore through the armored bulkhead with considerable speed. When the image faded back in Alpha was standing before the Masters accompanied by several of the warriors that had been in Zordon's personal body guard.

"We have considered your request Alpha and we will construct the necessary equipment for you to search for Zordon, understand however that due to the limitations of dimensional transference the equipment will only allow him to return to our plane in a quantum state, he will become a being of pure energy never able to leave his stasis generator. Should you find him and are able to establish contact make him aware of the ramifications of this choice."

"I will," Alpha replied with a bow. "Thank you,"

The Masters looked to address the others who stood before them. "As some of you have heard, our time on this world has come to an end. We have labored here these many millennia to keep this world safe from the darkness that has threatened to swallow it. Now to protect Earth we must leave it. The members of the Terran Core will formally disband and Earth will no longer be part of the Ath'zyn Alliance, though some of their number who wish to remain shall be permitted. You all must understand, as we have, that their destiny lies on another path from ours.

Rita's prison has been buried on the moon where she will remain. However, one of our prophets has informed us that Lord Tiamat has spoken to him and told him that one day the Dragon Power Coin will rejoin the others.

In ten days, we will depart from Athellon and collapse the island into a dimensional pocket to protect its secrets for all time. We will not leave this world defenseless however; Master Jeor has agreed to train warriors for the continued defense of this planet. We feel however that once the six rings and this city have been removed from this world the armies of darkness will no longer seek out this planet in their quest for power.

We have also decided that the capital of the Ath'zyn Alliance will no longer reside on any planet lest we place another world in great danger."

"Masters," one of the soldiers began. "What is to become of the Lilarian Palace? Will we continue to use it as an outpost?"

"No," the six replied. "The palace has been searched and all useful material has been catalogued and persevered in our archives. Our mystics have devised a way to cloak the structure so that its secrets will be hidden from all who seek it. As we have said it is the power we six carry that the enemy desires. Once we are gone the Earth should be free from worry of invading powers. Only Alpha will remain behind at the Western Command Center to continue his search for Zordon and to guard the other five coins. The people of this planet have suffered long and fought hard to protect the power and have done much to honor the Alliance. Now we must step aside and allow humanity to reach its true potential."

"What if things change?" one of the men asked. "What if someday Zedd returns or Master Vile learns the location of the 'record deleted',"

"Huh," Billy said.

"Should a time of need arise born from our conflicts on this planet then Alpha or Zordon, should he be found, have been authorized to seek out warriors from Earth and provide them with any technology seen fit to resolve the conflict, but we will never again set foot on Terran soil to do battle until the end."

"What of the recovered designs for Zord technology and the device Rita created to use the sixth coin?" another soldier asked.

"In addition to being stored in the Command Center the information has been given to Master Jeor and sent to our allies on Aquatar. We are currently seeing if this technology can be improved upon and to research any weakness that may prove useful in the future."

"Are we going to use the technology that Master Jeor has created?" the soldier asked getting to the heart of his question.

"Like all great power it is not wise to become careless with this matter. We will consider it further. Now we have much work to do and little time left."

"Alright," Herigan said clapping his armored hands together. "We can worry about the details later, let's get everyone prepared to move."

"Yes Captain," The others replied quickly filing out of the room.

The images faded to a distant view of the island. Above the citadel a large Eltarian vessel could be seen hovering over the city. Moments later it departed, ascending rapidly into the sky.

Suddenly the island began to sink below the waters. Within seconds the entire island had vanished beneath the waves. Water rushed in filling the hole left by the island's disappearance. As the waves crashed in water shot upward in a huge column before smashing back down onto the surface below. The image drew back through the holo-display showing the inside of the Command Center as Alpha watched the city of Athellon disappear. As the waters calmed Alpha turned off the holo-display and turned toward the main computer. Before him was a tall cylinder, the center of which held his reflection in the deep blue crystal. The image faded to black as Alpha resumed running his dimensional scans.

"Wow," Adam said.

"Beta can you bring the lights back up," Billy said.

"Compliance," Beta replied as the light levels in the main chamber returned to normal.

"So where do you suppose these 'Masters' are now?" Kimberly asked.

"I wish I knew," Billy said. "It sounds like they have the technology to replace Zordon's stasis chamber and the other equipment that was destroyed."

"What do you think those six rings were?" Adam asked.

"And what's buried on the moon?" Ashley added.

"Hang on guys," Jason said. "I know we all have questions, but give Billy some time to figure them out."

"I can get started searching the records right away," Billy said.

Jason was oblivious to Billy's response as he continued to stare at the blank space that had held the images of the past only moments ago.

"Something on your mind?" Kimberly asked placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"Just thinking," Jason replied a little startled. "I was wondering what they meant by our destiny lying down another path."

Red sat on a bench in New York's central park watching the people walk past. He had reverted to his human form, and while he looked like one of these filthy mammals on the outside, inside he was still a triumph of bio-engineering. His light brown hair was cut short and was complimented by his hazel eyes. His features were strong, with a wide jaw and broad shoulders. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants and a white shirt. He had arrived moments ago, materializing in an alleyway before walking into the park. When he felt he had sat there long enough to avoid looking suspicious he rose to his feet pulling a pair of sunglasses from his pocket; the rims were a silvery metal, while the lenses were a metallic red. Putting the glasses on he began to walk back toward the street.

Passing in front of an apartment complex he saw a girl break into tears as a car pulled away. Intrigued by her suffering Red approached her.

"So what's your problem?" Red asked.

"What?" the girl asked looking at him somewhat shocked at the brazenness.

"What is your problem?" Red repeated putting heavy emphasis on each word.

"Not that it's any of your business, but my boyfriend just broke up with me." she replied hostilely.

"And that's bad?" Red asked.

"I'm sorry who are you? And why are you so fascinated with my life?" the girl asked looking at Red, her anguish momentarily lost in the confusion of her present encounter.

"I'm Russell, and I'm not so much fascinated with your life, as I am your pain."

"What?"

"Well when I saw you have this sudden break down I thought something terrible must be happening, like maybe you had a day left to live, or something normal, but instead you're upset because some meat sack disassociated with you?"

The girl laughed a little, "You think having a terminal illness is normal?"

"I just don't see why you're so upset about this, now if your arm had just been devoured by a mutant squirrel or if you had just ingested a flesh eating virus I could understand that, it just seems a waste that this is all over some random person."

"You know you're right," the girl replied toughening up her attitude. "There are worse things that could have happened. Thank you."

"For what?" Red asked a little shocked.

"For taking the time to try and cheer me up, make sure I'm thinking clearly, there should be more people like you."

"Can't argue with that," Red replied with a grin.

"I'm Melody, by the way,"

Red nodded in acknowledgement as he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Melody asked.

"Going to look for more misery," Red replied.

"Um, okay, bye," she replied a little confused.

"Good bye,"

Red walked away feeling slighted for the time she had wasted. He contemplated going back and killing her for the inconvenience, but it was too much work right now. He would have to lure her somewhere quiet and then dispose of the body. Maybe if he had time later he would come back to it, right now it would just waste more time. Of course if he had to come back it would mean more time lost and then there was all the time that was wasted now thinking about it. So really, she was wasting a lot of his time, how dare she aggravate him this much and then be such an inconvenience to kill!

Red turned around just in time to see her enter the apartment building they had been talking in front of. With focused determination he turned around locking onto her heat signature and walked quickly back entering the building. He came in a moment after the elevator doors closed and immediately went through a door on the left taking the stairs. He ran up the stairs keeping pace with the elevator car which finally came to a stop on the fifth floor. He opened the door from the stairwell after he saw Melody turn down the hall away from the door. He followed quickly after her seeing that no one else was present. Glancing around quickly he was able to determine there where three other people in his proximity within other apartments, two were watching television, and the other appeared to talking on the phone.

Melody arrived at her door and reached into her purse pulling out her keys. As she unlocked the door and opened it she caught sight of Red.

"Russell, hi,"

"Hi," Red replied with a smile. "Look, I'm sorry I just left like that,"

"It's okay," Melody replied. "Don't worry about it,"

"There's just something I need to get off my chest."

"What?" she asked with a nervous smile.

In a flash Red had grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face into the door frame, blood gushed from her broken nose and torn skin.

"It's not nice to waste people's time." Red said slamming her head against the door frame with each word.

Melody's skull caved in and teeth fell to the floor as Red brutally beat her head to a pulp. Satisfied, Red tossed her body into the room and began to shut the door before noticing a piece of gum stuck to the door frame amid all the blood. Red pulled the bloodied piece of gum off the door and put it in his mouth chewing it for a moment.

"Mm, minty," he said closing the door.

He began to calmly walk toward the elevator whistling the tune 'Don't worry, be happy'.

Blue was in a small bookstore with a stack of several books next to the chair in which he was sitting. His light blonde hair was spiked in a crude flat top offset by his deep blue eyes. His gray tank top and jean shorts hung loosely on his thin frame. He was rapidly thumbing through a book on quantum physics. Other books in the stack included one on World War II, a few books on myths and fairytales, and one about terrorism.

"Excuse me sir?" An older man replied approaching him.

Blue looked up from his reading.

"I don't mean to bother you,"

"Then you've failed miserably," Blue replied.

The man tried to keep his composure. "You've been reading for hours, gone through most of the books in the store and I was wondering if you were planning on buying anything?"

"Maybe this one," Blue said holding up the book on World War II. "It wasn't as funny as the others I read though,"

"And which were those?" the man asked confused by Blue's statement.

"The others that talked more about the holocaust. Oh!" Blue exclaimed suddenly as his eyes widened. "And that one about the witch trials in Salem, that was hilarious!"

The man recoiled at Blue's statement, but Blue apparently didn't notice, or didn't care.

"That was amazing, the way they would try and drowned the people and if that didn't work they'd burn them alive," Blue laughed as if recalling a funny joke. "Classic. Then there was something I read about an inquisition, I never realized people would admit to anything to stop being tortured, that information was invaluable."

The man walked away from Blue, but another man in the store seemed to have overheard the conversation. He was a younger man with a fair build.

"Excuse me," he said.

"What?" Blue asked obviously annoyed with this newest intrusion.

"You think the Holocaust and the Witch Trials were funny?"

"Incredibly," Blue replied. "People killing people for no good reason, it's hilarious. I didn't realize you people were so crazy."

"I can agree that people are messed up and do some sick things, but to find what they do funny is just depraved."

"Tomato, Tomato," Blue replied changing his emphasis between the two.

"You're a sick individual," the man replied walking away.

"And you are a crude and worthless sack of flesh who does not know when to shut up and mind his own business," Blue replied.

"What did you say?" The man asked turning back toward Blue.

"Do you suffer from poor hearing? You're less than two meters from me, there is a low probability that you didn't hear me if your hearing is unimpaired."

The man walked back and grabbed Blue by his shirt. "Alright listen freak!"

Blue rolled his eyes and grabbed the man's hand twisting it, the bone cracking and snapping as he did so. The man fell to his knees as Blue rose from the chair gripping the man's arm near the elbow and then with a quick thrust shoved his arm down his throat. There was a loud snap and a gurgling sound as blood began to rise up out of the mouth and flow down his face and neck. Blue let him fall to the floor, his eyes wide with shock.

"Neanderthal," he said as he turned to the store owner who was standing behind the counter shaking uncontrollably.

"Just go," he said weakly. "I won't tell the cops I saw you, just don't kill me."

Blue sighed. "See the problem with that is, based on the micro dilation of your pupils I know you're lying to me."

Blue took a step toward the man. Urine ran down the man's leg onto the floor as he pressed himself against the back wall. Then suddenly he clutched his chest and began struggling to breath. Blue watched for a moment analyzing his condition.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Blue said. "Looks like you're going into cardiac arrest and I don't think you'll survive it,"

Blue turned and walked toward the door grabbing the book on quantum physics and the other on World War II as he headed for the door. He flipped the sign to 'Closed' as he opened the door before turning the lock and shutting the door behind him. He looked around to find an empty bench at a bus stop across the street and walked over to finish his book.

Pink and Yellow were both walking around the appliance section of a large department store in a mall. Pink was a small brown eyed girl wearing a black skirt with a black baby tee with a red heart with horns on the chest. Her deep red hair was pulled back in a ponytail tied with a hot pink bow. Yellow was slightly taller with a light tan. Her dark brown hair hung around shoulder level with bangs that stopped just above her gray eyes. She was wearing a jean vest over a tan crop top with jean shorts.

"Why are you still looking at appliances?" Pink asked. "You already got your waffle iron."

"Yeah," Yellow replied. "But they aren't that sturdy, I'm worried it might break before I do any real damage to Black."

"Our bodies can take a direct hit from an ion cannon, I don't think a waffle iron is going to help much."

"Maybe I could ram it down his throat?" Yellow thought out loud.

"I think you need to let it go," Pink replied. "Red said we're suppose to be looking for human weakness so we can figure out some good ways to get at the Rangers,"

"You're always such a kiss up to Red," Yellow replied. "I think you like him."

"The only one I want right now is that little pink ranger." Pink said running her tongue over her upper lip. "I want to taste the fear on her, make her beg for her life before slowly killing her." Pink's eyes rolled up as her body shook with the ecstasy. "Oh, I can't stop fantasying about it."

"Do I need to hose you down?" Yellow said.

"Tell me you never dream about what it would be like to kill Ashley," Pink said giving her a knowing look.

"Okay," Yellow smiled seductively. "I do," she admitted with a giggle.

"So?"

"I'm not the kind to go sharing my fantasies," Yellow replied a little indignant.

"Whatever," Pink replied. She looked around for a moment. "I'm just not seeing anything here that is useful,"

"Just give me a second, I'm almost done." Yellow said looking through a few last appliances. "I guess they don't have anything better," she said with a pouty expression.

"I told you, now can we get out of here? Not being morphed is making my skin feel all itchy." Pink said scratching at her arm.

The two of them walked through the winding isles and out of the department store into the mall. Pink and Yellow wandered the mall for awhile casually observing others as they went about their business.

"Humans are so boring," Yellow said blowing air up at her bangs.

"They're fun to kill though," Pink said with a sadistic smile.

"Sorta,"

"What do you mean sorta?"

"They die too easy,"

"That's half the fun," Pink replied. "Seeing how long you can make it last."

"That's funny to hear coming from the impulsive one,"

"There's a difference between being impulsive and not holding back," Pink said. "You're problem is you attack with everything you have, so of course these meat bags aren't going to hold up against that."

"I suppose," Yellow replied.

"Ooo!" Pink exclaimed pointing at the food court.

"What?" Yellow asked turning to look. "So," she turned back toward Pink, but she had vanished. "Pink?"

Yellow sighed and went to sit down at a nearby bench. She spread her arms across the back of the bench and leaned back looking at the ceiling. The minutes passed slowly as Yellow struggled to maintain her composure. All around her she could hear the constant droning from people, all their stupid concerns and small talk. Why couldn't they just shut up? Her head suddenly snapped up as she heard some child screaming. She stood up quickly, whirling around trying to locate the source of the noise; finally some misery.

She managed to locate the child, a toddler, no more than four years of age, being pulled along behind his mother down the walkway about twenty meters away. While Yellow could not hear the mother she could read her lips. It seemed the child wanted something, candy? It was hard to make out the blurred cries of the child or to extrapolate any data from his blubbering mouth. The mother seemed annoyed that the child would not stop despite her best efforts.

Frustrated, Yellow plopped back down on the bench. What a stupid species. Why the mother did not simply beat the child until he was silent was beyond her. She contemplated for a moment going over and taking care of it herself, but it seemed that the child was unhappy because of the mother and mother was annoyed with the child, so it only was right they should both have to suffer. Besides the mall was crowded and she wasn't in the mood to grow a new skin for something this trivial. She laughed for a moment. If Pink was here, she'd have killed that little brat without giving it a second thought.

Suddenly the crying stopped, there was a terrified scream. Yellow jumped up and turned just in time to see the woman fall to the ground on top of the prone child. There was no sign of an attacker. People began to rush over to the spot where the lady had collapsed.

"Some people are so inconsiderate," Pink's voice came out of nowhere.

"You didn't." Yellow said turning toward the source of the sound.

"What?" Pink asked as she became visible, her body fading back into sight. "No one saw me do it."

Yellow only shook her head in response and grinned. The two turned and began to walk away heading for the door leading to the parking structure.

"By the way, where did you run off too?"

"Oh," Pink said with a big smile. "Was just giving Blue's new virus a good home."

Black was walking through a run down neighborhood. Around him the brick walls of the buildings were tagged with graffiti. He passed a condemned building. A homeless man was sitting next to the far corner near an opening in a chain link fence. Black watched him as he walked by. The man kept his head down not wanting to meet Black's gaze. Black was a dark haired man, he looked as if he was part Samoan. He was short and muscular with broad shoulders and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a gray tee shirt over which he had a blue plaid hoodie with a pair of black jeans.

As he passed the old homeless man a ball suddenly flew at him from his right. Black spun quickly and caught the ball with his hand.

"Wow," one of the teenagers exclaimed.

"That's awesome," another replied starring at the basketball still wrapped in Black's large grip.

Black stood there starring at them for a moment not sure what to make of them.

"Hey, sorry about that man," one of the youth said. "Can we have our ball back?"

Black dropped the ball allowing it to bounce in place as he turned and continued on his way. Black could hear one of the teens refer to him in a derogatory way, but it didn't matter, they weren't worth his time, not that it would take much time, but it wouldn't get him any closer to his goal. If he was going to get his shot at taking down Adam then he needed to find someway to do it that appealed to Red's sense of artistic violence. It wasn't enough for Red to just kill the Rangers, they had to have some scheme to do it. To Black it didn't really make sense. As far as he was concerned they should just kill them quickly and be done with it.

On the other hand Black wondered what they would do once the Rangers were dead. It was something that had been gnawing away at him since the restraining nodes had been removed. Before they had been restricted, unable to kill, and it was fun to try and push that boundary, to see what they could get away with, but now they were free to do as they pleased. And while he wanted to kill the Black Ranger more than anything in the world he had come to realize it was the only thing driving him, would he have a purpose after he was done? He thought about the other one that Astronema had locked away, his target was dead and he seemed to be going crazy, well crazier, without anything to do.

Something suddenly occurred to Black. The other one hadn't been locked away because he was useless, he was merely impossible to control, he would simply kill without thought. That was his purpose too, to kill, there was nothing more to it than that. Black smiled feeling better already. As long as there were people to kill he would have a purpose, and when everyone here was dead there were always more worlds. When everyone on every world was dead? Well he still had some time to figure out what to do after that.

Black passed by another man walking on the sidewalk in the opposite direction. No sooner had the man passed by than Black slammed his elbow into the back of his head near the base of the skull snapping the spine free. The man fell forward onto the concrete; his body convulsed for a moment and then was still. Black chuckled to himself as he continued to walk down the street; it was good to have a purpose.

Astronema was looking over information on the display in front of her. The charts were showing the breakdown of the Psycho Ranger's mental state. Even with their genetically superior bodies they were suffering the early stages of dementia caused by the break down of their brain tissue. This seemed to be caused by the intense amounts of energy that was being transferred to them through their Morphers. Drawing life force from Dark Specter was slowing the process and keeping their cellular regeneration rate up, but it seemed their baseline DNA was beginning to show signs of mutation. This problem was further compounded by the constant use of the Psycho Ranger's morphed state. She was going to have to find some way to stabilize it if they were going to continue to use the Psycho Rangers. She still had Psycho Green she could run some tests on. Of course subduing him in his more advanced state of mental decay could prove much more difficult.

"Ecliptor," Astronema said activating the com.

"Yes empress?"

"I want you to take a detachment to the holding cell where we've stored Psycho Green. I need him sedated and then placed into cold storage. I also need blood and tissue samples brought to the lab."

"It will be done Empress." Ecliptor responded as the communication was cut off.

She began to understand why Zordon's Morphers had such a low power output. Rita had been slightly less conservative, but the Power Coin had been the limiting factor. She had designed the Psycho's Morphers from the ground up and had more than tripled the power output that the Psychos were able to access, however it seemed that the decision had come with a price. Fortunately, since the Psycho's were little more than enhanced human clones hybridized with Eltarian DNA they were expendable. If these minor setbacks could be resolved it could mean an army of unstoppable killing machines. Before that she needed to figure out why their DNA was mutating, then she could work on enhancing their metabolic functions to cope with the burn out their cells were experiencing.

Ecliptor stood outside the holding cell for Psycho Green. Around him were several Quantrons. Each had a large pack on their back with an insulated hose running to a long cylinder with a cone shape toward the front end. Holes ran around the cone in rows all pointed forward to dispense a freezing agent. The handles where attached to the main cylinder by ridged arms that had been insulated from the rest of the weapon frame.

Behind him was a large force field in the form of a cylinder filled with a clear liquid along with medical equipment and a power supply.

As the series of doors that sealed Green's prison began to open Ecliptor began to set the primer on the small device in his hand. The weapon was a demorphing grenade developed when the Psycho Morphers had been designed. It was designed to disrupt the flow of energy through the crystalline matrix of the Morpher to force a demorph. It was unknown if this technology would work on the Rangers, or even if it would work on the Psychos without killing them outright from the sudden withdrawal of power.

Ecliptor switched to his enhanced targeting mode as the last door began to slide slowly open. Ecliptor forced a shut down of the last force field and pitched the grenade into the tiny opening; the grenade skimmed the narrow opening as it bounced into the cell. There was a detonation as a flash went off to show that the weapon had activated.

Quantrons immediately proceeded down the hallway in teams of two. The first reached the door and fired a spray of liquid helium into the opening. There was an enraged scream as an object moved through the mist and out of the entry way. The lead Quantrons tracked the target and fired another blast toward the right of the cell where the figured had vanished. Ecliptor could hear a thump as the target moved again. With the entryway clear the first two Quantrons stepped through while the second team formed up on the tunnel keeping their weapons set for a wide spray. Ecliptor heard one more discharge as the Quantrons disappeared around the corner. There was a moment of silence.

Then the two Quantrons emerged from the room. Their dispensers had been holstered on their backs; ice coated the cylinders. Between them they were carrying a balled up mass covered in ice and snow in some form of suspension field generated from two emitters on the back of which was a handle. The body appeared to be curled into the fetal position. Ecliptor stepped aside as the two brought the subject to the cylinder. Going to either side of the container the Quantrons passed their cargo through the cylinder and deactivated their own emitters.

Ecliptor activated the machine's filter system removing contaminants from the vessel. Monitoring equipment sprung to life indicating the target was still alive. The Psycho Ranger's bodies had been designed to survive extreme temperatures, their body fluids being resistance to boiling or freezing. As the ice and snow were removed Ecliptor began to clearly see the form of Psycho Green.

"Get this equipment back into the cell," Ecliptor ordered. As the Quantrons carried out his command Ecliptor activated his com link.

"This is Astronema,"

"Capture is complete," Ecliptor said. "I think you should come take a look at this."

"Is there a problem?" Astronema asked.

"I'm not sure," Ecliptor replied.

Red was in a foul mood; his attempts at finding some useful information on human suffering had gotten him nothing, other than a piece of gum that had now lost its flavor. At this rate it really was going to come down to just finding the Rangers and killing them.

Suddenly there was an incoming message from Blue. Red continued to walk along the street as he talked with Blue using his internal monologue.

"What is it Blue?" Red asked, his thoughts ringing with irritation.

"What's wrong Red, things not going well?" Blue asked half mocking.

"Shut up," Red said aloud.

Several people on the street glanced over at his sudden outburst, but then went back to their lives.

"So what do you want?" Red asked regaining his composure.

"I have a great idea on what to do to the Rangers," Blue announced.

"Really?" Red asked, again speaking out loud in his excitement. His expression immediately changed.

"I already contacted Pink and Yellow, we're going to meet in Central Park and I'll explain everything."

"I'll be there in a minute," Red replied as he turned off the street and ducked down an alley before teleporting.

"Billy, you should come see this," Jason called.

Billy rose from his workstation and began to walk toward the holo-display where the other Rangers were gathered. They had been watching the News when reports about a strange rash of murders spread throughout the country had caught Jason's attention. Homicide in major cities had spiked significantly for several days before abating only to rise in another city. Law Enforcement was convinced that it was the work of a single group or individual. What Jason saw as interesting was the short amount of time between incidents in other cities. While the media had noticed this and had suggested a terror campaign by Lord Zedd, officials had no comment except to say they were looking into the matter. More disturbing was the fact that none of the victims seemed to have anything in common. The killings had happened across a spectrum of ethnicity, age, sex, and occupation with no significant pattern. The only definite pattern was the large cities, Seattle, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, and Chicago had all been targets of these bizarre killing sprees.

"So what's going on?" Billy asked.

"Strange murders," Kimberly said. "All over the U.S."

"Define strange," Billy said.

"We're talking about a high number of brutal killings for a few days, enough that the police definitely notice and then for no known reason it stops in one city and starts in another distant city almost immediately."

"Like the target or targets are teleporting," Billy said.

"That's what we were thinking," Adam said.

There was a sudden interruption as the Newscaster began to announce a new development. The Rangers paused for a moment and turned their attention to the display.

"It appears that New York City may be the latest target for the rash of unexplained killings. Today a woman and her child died mysteriously while in a shopping mall." He said.

The image cut to another new feed from a local station. An older man was standing out in front of a large building, presumably in the New York area.

"I was just walking down to the sporting goods store when I suddenly hear this scream, and I turn around and this lady is in a panic. Her kid was lying on the ground, and so I start heading over there to see what's going on and suddenly her head just jerks back and she falls to the floor."

"That has to be someone working for Zedd," Ashley said.

"Why kill off random people though?" Billy asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"What if it's tied to Hephaestus?" Jason asked. "He isn't exactly all there."

"While it does seem that Finster has suffered considerably from his imprisonment with the Machine Empire I doubt he is solely responsible. From this latest report it would appear that our assailant is one who can attack without being seen, though without actually having witnessed the attack myself I can't rule out something like a chemical agent that caused a sudden convulsion just prior to death. The account though suggests that the assailant was either invisible and attacked the person directly or that they were concealed and used some form of projectile weapon. But the later is unlikely as the report doesn't mention any weapon."

"Maybe that information is not being released?" Adam suggested.

"Possible," Billy replied.

"What about that Shadow Ranger?" Kimberly asked. "I mean, I know he never really demonstrated the ability to turn invisible, but he had some strange powers."

"It's not really a matter of abilities," Billy said. "It's the motive that has me concerned."

"You don't think it's an act of terrorism like the News suggested?" Rocky asked.

"If that were the case, you would expect it to be on a global scale. When you have a military force the size of Lord Zedd's, terror is generally a weapon you employ just prior to an attack so that the enemy is disorganized and scattered. It's possible that this is just the early stages of such a tactic, but given his vast military resources it seems unlikely that he would need to resort to such a thing. Nor would it fit with his previous plan of attack."

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked.

"Initially Lord Zedd arrived with a small force and occupied the Lunar Palace. His first order of business was to use the Green Ranger for a surgical strike to eliminate us and cripple the moral of Earth. From there he would have gone on to launch a massive invasion force to capture the planet and crush all resistance in a single day. However, when the Green Ranger was defeated and the Machine Empire attacked, his forces were greatly reduced. I think Zedd still plans to conquer Earth in one swift blow once he's dealt with us, but he seems to be waiting."

"Maybe he doesn't have the forces left after his war?" Aisha suggested.

"It's more likely that he is having to pull resources in from different fronts as they become available. Shortly after his defection the Green Ranger had explained to us that Zedd was fighting on multiple fronts throughout the universe. His Generals are handling these other fronts, but Earth was obviously of personal interest to him. So it is likely that Zedd's personal armada is heavily depleted and in that we may have bought more time for our world. But I digress."

"What if it isn't Zedd?" Adam asked.

"Maybe just a coincidence?" Jason added.

"What about a cult?" Ashley suggested.

"Now there's something I hadn't thought of," Billy replied pondering this idea for a moment. "It could even be a group of people that want to join Lord Zedd and are committing these acts of terror to gain his attention."

"You think there are people out there like that?" Shawna asked not hiding the disgust in her tone.

"I'd believe it," Rocky said.

"I'll have to forward the News reports to my terminal and look over the evidence before I make any real conclusions thou…"

"We're going live to a hostage situation in New York," the Newscaster said stopping Billy mid sentence. "Where it appears the Power Rangers have taken a bus full of people hostage… on the roof of… the World Trade Center?" the man added, seemingly confused.

The image shifted out to show a helicopter's view of the roof of the right tower of the World Trade Center. A Grey Hound bus was sitting motionless on the building, the front windshield was cracked outward and a tinge of red could be seen on the glass. Around the perimeter of the bus three individuals in pink, red, and black Ranger Armor were standing guard. Suddenly another in blue emerged from the bus carrying a struggling child, no more than ten, in his arms. He held him up for a moment over the ledge before tossing him off the side of the building; the boy disappeared as he fell out of frame to the plaza below.

"Guys," Jason said his teeth gritted.

The Rangers nodded, he didn't need to finish his sentence. They grabbed their Morphers.

Psycho Blue stood in front of the passengers of the bus, his armor transformed to look identical to his Ranger counterpart. Behind him, Yellow, also disguised, had just smashed the driver's head into the windshield. The people were cowering behind their seats. Blue looked around for a moment before grabbing a trembling man near the front and dragging him out of the bus while Yellow stood guard.

"Got a volunteer," Blue said walking out to the others.

Red smiled as the four Psycho Rangers walked toward the edge of the building.

"Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame." Red said taking the man from Blue and hefting him up onto the ledge.

"Well, you can enjoy the seven point seven two seconds of fame before the ground becomes an issue." Blue said pushing him forward.

"Wai…" the man started to say as he tumbled over the edge.

The Psychos were immediately drawn to the edge watching the man fall to his death. Seconds later he hit the ground cracking the concrete.

"Huh," Blue said walking back. "Only seven point three one seconds, must have forgotten to factor in wind resistance." Then he suddenly paused raising his index finger as if something just occurred to him. "Or the laws of physics no longer apply! Science has failed me!" he shouted falling on his knees.

"Get a grip on yourself," Black said.

"You're right," Blue replied jumping up. "No sense jumping to conclusions, I have a hypothesis, now I must collect some data!"

Blue quickly returned to the bus and emerged again dragging a woman behind him. The young lady was frantically screaming trying to get free of the Ranger's superhuman grip. Blue hoisted her to the edge to the building and put a hand over her mouth to muffle her screams.

"Now listen," Blue said. Finding he did not have the woman's attention he shook her and repeated his demand. "This is very important, I need you to stay as spread out as possible; it will slow your fall."

On saying this the woman went limp in his arms; tears running down her face.

"For science!" Blue declared pitching her over the side as he leaned over the ledge to watch the grisly conclusion. "Seven point eight two," Blue declared. "First one must have just been a fluke."

He walked away from the edge of the building returning to the other Psychos who were waiting outside the bus. Red stepped forward.

"So now what?" he asked.

"Now we wait until we get some News coverage." Blue replied.

"Won't the Rangers detect our presence first?" Black asked lowering his voice.

"Not as long as we have this." Blue said producing a small circular box from his belt.

"And what is that?" Pink asked.

"A jamming device, makes us completely invisible to the Ranger's tracking equipment with an effective radius of twenty-two meters." Blue replied.

The Psychos relaxed for a moment waiting for the Media to arrive and document their exploits. After several minutes of waiting the Psychos could hear the sound of helicopter blades beating in the distance. Red looked toward the direction of the sound, but found it was only an AH-1 Cobra, probably a military intercept.

"Where are the defiant Media groups when you need them," Red said annoyed.

"They're coming," Blue replied. "I already uploaded the information to several News Centers; one is already getting flight clearance."

"Then this guy will have to go," Red replied pulling his blaster and firing a single shot.

The bolt raced through the air toward the Cobra, a mere dot in the sky. Within a second the bolt had penetrated the cockpit burning through the pilots and went through to the engine. The helicopter exploded into flames and plummeted onto the streets of New York landing on several other vehicles.

"I've got a lock on the News Helicopter," Blue said. "Should be here in a few minutes."

Black suddenly noticed a man looking at him from the window of the bus. He turned toward him, the man sat up quickly facing forward, but Black was already on his way into the bus. He quickly brushed past Yellow and stormed down the isle causing the other passengers to cringe. Coming to the man he grabbed his shirt and hoisted him up as the man lost control of his bodily functions. Black ignored the urine that ran down onto his boots.

"When I was in Chicago there was this cat," he said looking straight at the man. "He was looking at me just like you did. I tried to shoot it, but it ran away. So I followed it into this neighborhood, burned down several houses trying to flush it out, but it got away."

The man continued to shake in his grip.

"Now I want to know one thing." Black said shaking him. "Do you know where that cat is?!"

"No," the man squeaked out.

Black let go dropping the man to the floor, "I hate that freaking cat," he said turning around and walking off the bus.

The man slowly pulled himself into his seat and brought his legs to his chest curling up against the frame of the bus.

"What was that all about?" Pink asked as Black came down out of the bus.

"Nothing," Black said. "Thought I might have had a lead."

"So Blue," Pink asked walking up to him and running her arm around his shoulder. "Does this plan of yours involve that lovely little device you created?"

"Unfortunately no," Blue said. "Whatever it does I'm sure no one around it would live, and we need witnesses right now." He produced a small little device that appeared to be a small squeak toy made up to look like a mouse. "This on the other hand we will be using." He said holding it up by the tail.

Blue's attention was suddenly redirected as he heard the beating of the helicopter blades coming in fast now.

"Looks like it's show time!" Blue said walking back onto the bus. He looked around the passengers for the prefect instrument for his plan. Finally his gaze fell on a young boy sitting with a man. Blue walked over and crouched down in front of the child.

"Well I hate to say it kid, but it has to be you." Blue said.

"Over my dead," the man replied.

Blue didn't let him finish and instead casually slammed his palm into the man's face killing him instantly. "It's really just an unfortunate twist of fate," Blue continued looking into the terrified child's eyes. "See people get more bent out of shape about violence against children, so if we're really going to do this right, this is just the way it has to be, and we appreciate your sacrifice."

"Hurry up!" Red shouted from outside; the whirl of rotor blades deafeningly close.

"You're not the Rangers," One lady said. "You're some horrible monsters."

"I like to think I've evolved beyond your antiquated ideas of right and wrong," Blue said with a smile. "I simply am what I am."

With that final statement he took hold of the child and dragged him from the bus kicking and screaming. He walked to the edge of the building and held the child out over the ledge.

"Maybe if you think a happy thought you can fly," Blue said as he pitched the child over. He watched for a moment to see if there was any truth to the children's story, but after a few seconds he concluded there wasn't.

"Pink, now that they have their top story for the evening, if you would be so unkind?" Blue said walking back toward the bus.

Pink smiled and manifested her bow. She abhorred the way her beautiful weapon looked shrouded in white and pink of her good twin. Taking quick aim she fired off five shots in rapid succession. The first two stuck through the heads of the pilot and copilot, the next two into the heads of the cameraman and reporter, the final shot pierced the engine locking it in a sudden stop, the helicopter dropped like a rock to the ground below.

Blue continued toward the bus and tossed in the small mouse toy as Yellow exited the vehicle.

"I would apologize for inconveniencing you all," Blue said with a smile. "But in about eight seconds you're going to be dead anyway, so it really doesn't matter."

With those words he shut the door and began walking away. The people immediately jumped from their seats trying to pry open the windows as Blue pulled a detonator from his belt and put his thumb on top of the button.


	12. Chapter 12

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-12-

Blue pressed down on the button. The bus erupted in flames as the metal frame was torn to shrapnel scattering burning debris all over the roof and sending some over the edge into the cordoned off plaza below.

"Well that's that," Blue said tossing the detonator aside.

Suddenly the Power Ranger materialized in a flash of bright colors; their arrival momentarily catching Blue off guard.

"Whoa," Blue said regaining his composure. "I was hoping you'd show up."

"Where are the hostages?" Jason demanded.

"All around us," Red replied with a smile spreading his arms out above his head.

Kimberly's hand went to her mouth in a gasp as she realized what he was saying.

"Who are you?" Jason asked, the anger in his voice apparent.

"It's too early to spoil the fun," Red replied. He could already hear the sound of multiple helicopters inbound.

"Time to go," Blue whispered to Red as he activated a control on his gauntlet.

"See you soon," Red said, peeling away part of his helmet like flesh as he smiled to reveal his rows of needle like teeth.

Folding their arms across their chests the Psychos vanished. The Rangers were frozen for a moment, not sure what to make of the bizarre encounter.

"Who were those guys?" Ashley asked.

"They have to be the same guys we ran into on the Time Shadow," Billy said.

"Guys," Adam began looking out toward the city. "We have incoming military helicopters."

"There sure are a lot of them," Ashley said looking around at the swarm of Cobras and Apaches that were rapidly approaching.

"Well they do think the Power Rangers have taken people hostage." Jason said. "The rest of you go, see if you can find these guys, Billy and I can stay behind to explain."

"You sure Jason?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, I know how it looks to them, but we didn't do anything, and if we all go then no one will be left to deal with these imposters."

"I agree," Billy said. "In order to truly clear our names we are going to have to locate these individuals."

"Alright," Kimberly said, her voice betraying her uncertainty.

The three Rangers activated their teleport beacons only to find that they were unable to teleport.

"Something is jamming the teleporter again," Adam said slightly panicked.

"Beta, come in," Billy said.

"Co'nd n r'co'zed." came the scrambled reply.

"It's definitely the same technology," Billy said lowering his arm. "But the level of power has been reduced. I'm guessing it's a portable device, so we should be able to get clear of the area affected."

"Too late," Adam said pointing to the sky.

Several of the helicopters had already arrived and were holding a wide perimeter around the building.

"Hands up guys," Jason said. "And no sudden movements."

The Rangers complied raising their arms up slowly

"Power Rangers!" A voice blared through a megaphone. "You will disengage your Ranger Powers and surrender immediately or we will open fire."

"Do it," Jason ordered.

The Rangers demorphed, their bodies reverting to normal in a wash of colored light.

"Get on your knees and place your hands on your heads!" the voice commanded.

"This is ridiculous," Ashley said. "We didn't do anything."

"We're not going to be able to prove that by resisting," Jason replied getting on his knees.

The other Rangers followed his example.

"This is so humiliating," Kimberly said.

Within moments a Black Hawk had touched down on the roof of the building as several soldiers jumped out. Five of the men immediately rushed forward twisting the Ranger's arms behind their backs and handcuffing them while the others stayed back keeping their M16s trained on the Rangers.

"You three first," one of the men shouted as Kimberly, Ashley, and Billy were hoisted onto their feet and carried toward the Black Hawk.

Several of the men piled back in as the helicopter lifted from the roof. As the Black Hawk flew clear another landed on the roof disembarking several more men. Jason and Adam were yanked to their feet and escorted into the waiting Black Hawk. The helicopter rose quickly leaving a small team of five men on the roof. As the craft turned east toward Mitchel Air Force Base Jason could see the men begin to spread out making a sweep of the area and securing any evidence they could find.

Billy ignored the armed soldiers who were keeping their weapons trained on the three of them and watched the terrain race underneath them as they proceeded toward the base. Like many inactive or abandon bases prior to Zedd's arrival Mitchel Air Force Base was a facility that had served as a college and museum among other functions. However, due to the railway access and strategic location within New York the base had been recommissioned to serve as one of many Eastern Rapid Response Centers. While the decision had not been made lightly, the availability of remaining infrastructure from the former base was more significant than other sites considered. Its location within Long Island also provided the perfect location to intercept attacks within the Tri-State area.

As the Black Hawks continued eastward Billy could see the base. The air field now lay where several buildings had been demolished, restoring the runway that had once been removed. On the ground below he could see people moving around and soldiers marching out onto the runway, no doubt in preparation for their arrival. He considered for a moment pointing it out to Ashley and Kimberly, but realized that since they had not been given headsets they would never hear him above the roar of the helicopter and any communication between them at this point could easily be misconstrued by the soldiers who were guarding them. It was obvious that they had been set up, but it would still take time to convince the military officials and explain what was going on. In addition this situation hadn't registered on their equipment meaning it was likely that these imposters had somehow jammed their equipment and it was unlikely that they had any viable footage of the brief confrontation that had occurred on the roof of the tower. They did have the Command Center logs that showed their presence up until the time that they teleported with the live News feed showing the mock Rangers present on the tower while they had watched. Still, in the past their visual documents had been called into question by some who argued that theoretically they could create any images they wanted and present them. While these statements had been dismissed as baseless speculation in the past, Billy knew that they could easily forge any of the information, visual or otherwise, rather easily. While it was unthinkable that he or any of the other Rangers would ever do something of that nature he did have to acknowledge that people weren't always the most trusting and history had shown that in times of crisis stirring people into a frenzy was a fairly easy matter and being level headed did not come easily.

The biggest variable in this matter was, of course, those other Rangers. Were they merely machines made to look like them? Like a modified Quantron? But that one, the Red Ranger, he had torn away part of his face, like it was a second skin. Had these new warriors merely received some form of temporary coating to mimic their Ranger appearances? And what else could they do? He regretted not having the time to view the News reports. It was likely that these warriors were behind the recent killings, unless the killings were meant as a decoy? Billy shook his head in frustration; there were too many variables. Zedd could be employing any number of new surprises at this point.

The Black Hawks touched down at the base where the Rangers were coldly greeted by several more squads of soldiers who forcefully took them inside. One by one the Rangers were forced into a small room and forced to strip down to their undergarments before receiving orange jumpsuits. Their personal affects were confiscated and locked away in the armory. Then the Rangers found themselves marched out to a detention facility where they were placed into separate cells before being left alone.

"This is, without a doubt, the most humiliating day of my life," Kimberly said sinking onto the cot in her cell.

"Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?" Adam asked pacing his cell. "No one bothered to even ask us any questions."

"Things are a little different under Martial Law," Billy said lying back on his cot.

"So what are we going to do?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know," Jason sighed leaning against the bars of his cell. "They have our Morphers, they have our communicators, there isn't anything we can do right now."

"It would be useless to try anyway," Billy said. "They're most likely monitoring us right now and we have no idea where our Morphers are, and without those we're no match for a base full of soldiers with guns."

"Even if they didn't have guns we still couldn't get past them all," Jason said sinking to the floor with his back against the bars.

"So who were those guys on the roof?" Adam asked.

"Probably some plan of Zedd's created to frame us," Kimberly said in a dejected tone.

"If it was their job to frame us why did they try to kill us on the bridge of the Time Shadow?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Billy said. "Right now there are too many variables to draw any solid conclusions. We'll just have to wait until they let us go,"

"If they let us go," Adam said.

"Come on guys," Jason began. "I know we're not in a good place right now, but we're innocent, we can't just give up and let Zedd win."

"I know," Billy said. "But until someone actually wants to hear our side of things there's nothing we can do."

"I just feel so powerless right now," Kimberly said slumping over on her cot and closing her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"General Hamren, welcome to the LSR Aqua Base" Captain Mitchell said extending his hand as the General exited the air lock.

"Captain," Hamren replied taking a firm grip on his hand. "What do you have to show me?"

Captain Mitchell turned back toward the corridor leading the General through a series of tunnels before coming to an opened bulkhead with guards stationed on either side. As they entered the room a raven haired woman greeted them.

"General, this is Doctor Fairweather, she's head of our R and D department." Mitchell said.

"Doctor," The General responded shaking the woman's out stretched hand. "I understand you've made some use of the specs we were able to salvage from the Area Fifty-one incident?"

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "If you'll follow me?"

Hamren and Mitchell followed the young woman as she proceeded over to the far end of the room. Lights came on in the corner illuminating a bulky battle suit. The olive colored chest was wide and rounded with guards that came up around the lower part of the matching egg-shaped helmet. The shoulders were a pair of green pods attached to the main body from which two large arms were attached; cold steel shone dimly beneath the olive green plating. The left arm was equipped with a giant hydraulic claw similar to the Jaws of Life, but with a much wider grip. The right arm had some form of cannon mounted on the end with a three barreled Gatling Gun slung under it.

"This is the Exo-Ranger Mark One prototype," Doctor Fairweather said as the armor began to rotate on its pedestal.

As it rotated the General could see the large pack mounted to the back on the machine from which the ammo feed for the gun ran. It also appeared to have some form of thrust capabilities and a large ringed antenna that rose above the left shoulder.

"This model system features reactive armor, short-range flight, a hydraulic claw, a sixteen millimeter cannon and a twenty-two megawatt laser capable of cutting through reinforced titanium. The project was originally was scrapped due to the low power capacity of the laser and limitations of ammunition as well as a large power supply that provided only twenty minutes of viable operation. Using the information that your department provided we were able to locate a sort of, and forgive me for this unscientific term, cosmic energy that can be harnessed to power the suit."

"So how is it that we have never found this source of energy before?" General Hamren asked.

"We didn't have the technology to harness it," Doctor Fairweather replied. "Simply put the Ranger's Morphers use this energy that seems to be transmitted through the universe, somewhat like we would transmit a microwave pulse. The only difference is that this energy is of such a high frequency we have had no reason before now to explore the EM spectrum on which this energy exists. In addition the energy waves seem capable of passing through most matter without affecting it. Harnessing it requires a fairly intricate matrix of crystal to harvest it. Once harnessed however, this power has unlimited potential, not just for the LSR, but it could provide a clean alternative fuel source that would revolutionize our world.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm Doctor," Hamren began. "Civilian uses will have to wait until after we have dealt with the threat of Lord Zedd."

"Yes, I understand," the doctor replied trying to reign in her excitement. "I was getting ahead of myself."

"Have you made a successful field test of this unit?" The General asked.

"Yes sir," Captain Mitchell replied. "We can show you the footage, or if you like we can arrange for another demonstration immediately."

"The footage will be sufficient for now," The General replied. "How fast and how soon can you begin manufacturing these things?"

"With all due respect, there are still many tests we need to run before using this in actual combat," the doctor began.

"Let me explain something to you," the General replied glaring at her. "We have a maniac up there with enough power to wipe this planet out of existence. We do not have time for all your little tests. We need these soldiers and we need them now."

"I apologize," Captain Mitchell intervened directing Dr. Fairweather back. "We can get TACOM the specs and have them begin working on this right away."

"Good," The General replied, his mood immediately lightening. "Now let's have a look at that video,"

"General," an officer came running into the room.

"What is it?" the General asked.

"You have an urgent call from Mitchel Air Force Base in New York."

"Get that video ready for me," the General said to Mitchell as he followed the officer out of the room. If these new battle suits worked out it could mean the end of the Power Rangers.

"What is so important that you can't just tell me about it?" Astronema asked as she entered the detention cell, obviously annoyed at being pulled away from her other duties on the bridge.

"He's in here," Ecliptor said directing Astronema to the holding cell where the equipment was being set into place by the Quantrons.

Astronema approached the glowing cylinder slowly. She could see the silhouette of Psycho Green slumped down in the containment field. Already she could see that something was wrong. Against the lit background she could make out ridges that ran along Green's head. Coming closer she could see that the ridges ran over the top of his head and down his back. His tailbone had extended leaving him with a short stubby tail, like a flap. The nails on his finger tips had grown and formed talons. As she leaned in to get a closer look his eyes sudden popped open glaring at her. She flinched for a moment before taking a closer look at his eyes. They were slit like a cat's and were deep amber in color. Green attempted to strike at her, but his arm moved lethargically, the liquid helium slowing his metabolic functions to a point were he was only barely conscious. Imbedded in his chest, just below the sternum that now pushed out with bizarre ridges, was his Psycho Morpher. The black protrusion was triangular in form having been surgically attached to the bottom of the rib cage. Within the center of the device was a single green orb.

"Do we have any analysis of his DNA?" Astronema asked as she continued to look over his advanced state of mutation.

"The computer is still working on that," Ecliptor said. "Though his vital signs are becoming increasingly erratic."

"Do we know what is causing that?"

"No my Empresses,"

"Keep me advised," Astronema said as she turned to leave.

"Yes my Empress."

"So now what Blue?" Red asked.

The Psycho Rangers were cloaked as they stood on the main airstrip looking around the Air Force Base. They had been present since the Ranger's arrival observing and collecting data on the defenses and personnel as well as intercepting and altering all communications from the base.

"Now we shake the Rangers up a little, but first," Blue said activating his com link. "Hello this is General Lawler at Mitchel Air Force Base in New York, I need to speak with General Hamren immediately." Blue said altering his voice. There was a pause. "Then transfer me, this is of the highest importance."

Pink snickered a little. For a few minutes there was silence amongst the Psychos as they continued to stare in Blue's general direction even though he was transparent.

"General Hamren, General Lawler at Mitchel Air Force Base. We took the Power Rangers into custody this afternoon after they hijacked a bus and killed all the people on it." Blue began.

"What?" the General was shocked. "Did you actually witness this?"

"No, we arrived just after the bus was destroyed. There was limited News footage of the event before one of them killed the News crew."

"Where did all this occur?"

"On top of the World Trade Center, if you can believe it."

"I assume you have the situation under control now?"

"Yes, we have them locked up at the moment, though they seem to be showing signs of mental duress."

"What do you mean by mental duress?"

"We'll know more after we do a psyche evaluation on them. But, they seem to be suffering from some sort of delusional paranoia, possibly PTSD."

"How certain are you?"

"Well I'm no expert, but they were claiming that there were other Rangers that looked just like them and they have attacked several of our personnel claiming that they were also part of this conspiracy to frame them."

"I realize they've been under considerable stress with all the horrors they must have witnessed, but I have a hard time believing that they would just go berserk like this. Shouldn't there have been earlier warning signs?"

The others could hear Blue's foot tapping impatiently. "Again, until we run some tests we can't be sure. From what he observed earlier Doctor Kuaffman feels that the pressures they've been under have become too great and may have been more than they could handle, they're only kids after all." Blue paused.

"I think I would like to talk to them myself," The General said. "I have to admit that I would be very happy to have their powers and abilities given to individuals with more experience in war, however making any hasty decisions could cause an international incident."

"I understand completely." Blue said. "Well if you would like to come out and see for yourself you're more than welcome."

"I'll be on a plane in a few minutes."

"Alright, I look forward to your arrival." There was a short pause as Blue terminated the connection. "Man, I didn't think that guy would ever shut up, what an obnoxious human!"

"What was the problem?" Red asked.

"Apparently he's having a hard time swallowing this whole 'Rangers gone crazy' idea." Blue said.

"I told you it was stupid," Pink said.

"They just need some more convincing." Blue said. "Now we can get to phase two, Red you know your part?"

"Yes," Red replied.

"Just don't forget about the cameras." Blue said.

"Aren't you going to wipe all that stuff anyway?" Black asked.

"The less I have to clean up the better it will be," Blue replied.

"I'll be careful," Red said as he left the group.

"I still say this plan is stupid," Pink repeated. "I want to kill Kimberly now, why do I have to wait?"

"Just be patient," Blue replied. "I promise that when we're all done you can kill Kimberly as slowly and as painfully as you want and there will be nothing to interfere with your good time."

Red stood over General Lawler as he sat at his desk. Red glanced around for a moment looking for anyone or anything that might be watching the General. Seeing nothing he risked a quick scan to locate electronic devices, the EM pulse causing the fluorescent lighting to flicker for an instant. Beyond the cameras in the hall he didn't sense anything. Cautiously Red reached over the desk and brushed a pencil causing it to roll toward the General and fall onto the floor. The General looked over, perplexed for a moment and reached down to retrieve the pencil.

In an instant Red grabbed the back of his neck and forced him down on the floor putting a plasma bolt through the back of his head. As he did so a small needle pierced the General's skin and took a blood sample. Within seconds Red's body was covered with swarms of nano-machines that stitched together a flesh suit over which material was laid down to mimic the General's clothing. Red crouched down over the General's body, sliding it under the desk as he turned off his cloaking field. Red returned to his chair appearing visually identical to the General. Leaning forward Red activated the intercom.

"Ms. Grant, could you please have Lieutenant Walsh escort one of the Power Rangers over to Doctor Kauffman's office so we can begin the psyche evaluations? If she is feeling up to it he would like to talk to Ms. Hart."

"Yes sir," came the response.

Red released the intercom button before sending an encrypted message to Blue. Now all he had to do was sit back and relax until the real fun started. He glanced over at the clock, fifteen twenty-two hours, now how was he going to keep himself occupied for the next fifteen minutes?

Red spent a moment tapping his fingers on the desk not wanting to begin forging the reports that Blue had required he make. Then he noticed the smell, that pungent aroma of seared flesh and cooked blood wafted up from beneath the desk. Red began to look through the desk drawers, but found nothing with which to mask the odor.

"Stop smelling," Red said kicking at the corpse under the desk.

Blue and Black watched intently as a small squad of men began walking toward the detention compound. Blue started to motion to Black only to remember that he couldn't see him.

"We're going to take the guy at the back," Blue whispered to Black. "I want you to grab him, I'll replace him.

"Right," Black responded as he sunk into the ground.

Blue fell into line behind the soldiers. Reaching forward he quickly pricked the back of the man's neck obtaining a sample. The soldier reached back bushing at his neck assuming it nothing more than a bug bite. Blue was already coursing with nano-machines altering his physical appearance. He sent a silent command to Black.

With split second timing Black shot up from the ground and placed a hand around the soldier's mouth before pulling him below the ground. In the same instant Blue became visible taking one large step in time to fall in where the soldier would have been walking.

Below the ground Black snapped the man's neck and left him below the surface; his body phasing into the soil as Black released him. Black quickly jumped back above ground. He had another task to complete.

Blue continued to march quietly with the rest of the group. Even though this was his plan the length of time it was taking to unfold was even getting on his nerves. He contemplated just snapping Billy's neck as soon as he was in the detention facility. Then the other's could come and do whatever they wanted with the others. Still this was the only time they were ever going to get to kill them, unless he were to clone Billy, then he could kill him over and over. He made a mental note to get a blood sample next opportunity he was presented with.

Blue refocused as they made their way past the checkpoint at the door and into the main facility. They proceeded down several hallways before reaching a door with two guards positioned on either side. After the Lieutenant's ID was verified the door was opened and the squad entered into a hallway with prison cells running down both sides. The Rangers were all located on the same side of the otherwise deserted wing. With the squads arrival the Rangers all came to the front of their cells, curious as to what was going on. Blue took up position just behind the other men as they faced Kimberly's cell.

"Ms. Hart?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Yes?" Kimberly replied.

"Doctor Kauffman would like to see you for a psychological evaluation."

At this moment Blue smiled, but not with his altered features, instead his skin peeled back in a malicious grin that ran from ear to ear showing his rows of needle like teeth. Kimberly suddenly recoiled. Jason and Ashley seemed to be the only other Rangers that noticed.

"Get away from me," she said pressing herself against the back wall.

"He's one of them!" Jason said pointing toward Blue.

The other men looked around at one another, but Blue had already composed his appearance.

"Who's one of them?" The Lieutenant asked.

"That guy in the back," Ashley said pointing at Blue. "Make him smile."

The Lieutenant turned toward Blue, or at the moment Private Richardson.

"Private please smile for all of us,"

"Yes sir," Blue replied grinning.

"No, make him show you his teeth," Ashley said.

Without the order Blue opened his lips revealing a row of normal looking teeth.

"Thank you private," The Lieutenant said turning back toward the Rangers. "Now Ms. Hart will you come with us for a psyche evaluation?"

"No," Kimberly replied. "I know what I saw and I'm not going anywhere with you."

The Lieutenant sighed. "Will any of you volunteer?"

There was a moment of silence.

"None of us are going anywhere alone with you guys," Jason said.

The Lieutenant pulled out his radio. "This is Lieutenant Michaels, I need to talk to Doctor Kuaffman."

There was a delay. "This is Doctor Kuaffman." A distorted voice came over the radio.

"None of the Rangers are willing to come with us, are we authorized to use force?"

"Let's not be hasty, what seems to be the problem?"

"They think Private Richardson is not human,"

"I see, leave them for now, I will confer with some of my collages and talk to General Lawler before we proceed. In the meantime have Private Richardson get a physical just so we can be sure."

"Understood," the Lieutenant replied putting his radio away.

"You can't leave us in here," Billy said. "If those things are on the base they could come for us all. I know this sounds crazy, but whatever these things are they looked just like us and apparently are able to take on the appearance of anyone else."

"Then how do we know you're not them?" The Lieutenant said in a mocking tone. He turned toward Richardson. "Richardson, go get a physical, Dobbs, Reese you go with him."

"Yes sir," the men replied in unison as they departed.

"When do we get a trial?" Billy asked feeling defeated.

"When you're found mentally competent to have one," the Lieutenant replied as he and the rest of his squad exited the cell.

"You sure it was one of them?" Billy asked.

"No doubt in my mind," Jason replied.

"Then we need to get out of here," Billy replied. "It might look bad, but if we stay here then we could be killed."

"I agree," Jason said.

Black, disguised as Doctor Kuaffman sat back down at his desk as the brief talk with Lieutenant Michaels ended. He began immediately forging the documents that Blue required. His hand worked as files Blue had uploaded to his cybernetically enhanced brain controlled his handwriting and linguistic style to match that of the late Doctor Kuaffman. As his hand continued to write he made a call over to Red relaying the information he had received from the Lieutenant as if Kuaffman and Lawler were having a normal exchange of information. Blue had been uncertain how many of the base records were going to survive phase four, so the more information they left lying around for other's to draw false conclusions from the better.

Despite this style of going about things being different from what Black was use to he was enjoying all the deception Blue had put into this plan. It would be easy to hunt Adam down once the world no longer supported the Power Rangers, and he was getting to kill more people along the way.

Red had finished his work forging documents and making the necessary calls to outside agencies explaining the situation at Mitchel. Still he could not turn his focus away from the smell that wafted from the General's corpse. Normally the smell of seared flesh would have been delightful to Red, but not being able to act on the bloodlust it stirred in him was pure torture. He was desperately trying to restrain his instincts until Blue was ready for the final phase of the plan. If Pink and Yellow would just hurry up and take care of their part they could move on to the next phase, and then after that he could finally get some enjoyment out of this ruse.

Blue entered the Medical Facility accompanied by Private Dobbs and Private Reese. They were greeted by a nurse, who even in disguise Blue could tell was Pink.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I've been ordered to get a full physical ma'am." Blue replied.

"And you two?" She asked

"We're just here to make sure Richardson isn't a big scary monster," Dobbs said jokingly.

"Well while you're waiting maybe you should have your head examined," Pink said.

"And why is that?" Dobbs asked.

"Cause there's a hole in it."

With incredible speed Pink had pulled her pistol and placed a bolt into the heads of both the soldiers. Their bodies dropped to the ground.

"Must you be so impulsive?" Blue sighed.

"I'm tired of this nonsense!" Pink said waving the weapon in Blue's face. "Yellow has already finished forging the information for your physical that you asked her too and all the equipment is in place, can we get on with this now!?"

"You have no appreciation for the details," Blue said. "Now where is Richardson's body?"

"Black left it phased into the ground somewhere."

"None of you think do you?" Blue sighed. "We're going to need another body in here."

"Why what happened?" Yellow asked coming into the room disguised as a male doctor.

"Black left this man's corpse in the ground somewhere, even if we could locate it his molecules have been meshed with the ground and it would be almost impossible to recover him."

"I'll go get some homeless person and be right back," Yellow said.

"Fine," Blue said. "Just make sure that you make the dental records match and have a set of Dog Tags made. Here let me give you the data," Blue said transmitting information directly to Yellow. Then he turned to Pink. "You get this place in order and then make sure no one discovers the bodies."

"Whatever," Pink said turning around and dragging the bodies away.

"And try not to get caught on film," Blue reminded her. "Or it'll take me longer to erase the video which means it will take longer until we're done here, and even I am getting tired of this.

Yellow teleported out as Blue burned off his disguise, the suit melting off like hot plastic. Blue scooped the runny mass of black sludge off the floor and disposed of most of it in a trashcan before cloaking and walking out of the Medical Facility. He had one quick stop to make then it would be time to let the rats out of their cages.

"I still can't think of anything," Billy said banging his arms against his cell door. "I can't pick these locks and I have very little in this cell to work with."

"We can't give up," Jason said. "Those things are out there and without our Morphers they could walk in here and kill us at anytime."

"And yet they haven't," Billy thought out loud. "I wonder if they're still not permitted to,"

"So you think this is all part of Zedd's plan?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied.

"That shark creature did say that Zedd wanted us to suffer first," Jason added.

"True," Billy replied. "I'm just not sure how all this fits in,"

"What do you mean?" Kimberly interrupted. "We've been framed, humiliated, and locked up, how is that not suffering?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean why try to turn people against us?"

Billy's reasoning was suddenly interrupted as the teens found themselves in the armory, the bins containing their personal items were in front of them.

"What just happened?" Ashley asked.

"We teleported," Billy said a little astonished.

"Who cares," Kimberly said. "Let's just get our stuff and get out of here before something else happens."

"We can't just leave," Jason said. "We know we didn't teleport ourselves here so this must be a part of their plan,"

"I agree," Billy said.

"What?!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Don't misunderstand," Billy began. "I agree this must be part of their plan, but if we don't take this chance to escape there is a good chance that we will only be taken back to our cells where those things will be free to kill us anytime they choose."

"You're not suggesting we leave?" Jason said. "It will only make us look guilty."

"We already look guilty," Billy said, his tone betraying the stress he was under. "If we don't leave we are as good as dead Jason, those things are going out of their way to frame us, we have to escape even if it is playing into their plans it is the only way we will have a chance to survive!"

The other Rangers were shocked for a moment. Billy was usually the calmest and most level headed one in the group, but at the moment it seemed the pressure of the situation had gotten to him.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked.

"It's just, I mean, I can't make sense of all this. Why frame us? What do they gain? Even if we lose support from various world powers it won't make us any less a threat. And the divide and conquer aspect won't work because if Zedd attacks and we engage him then the logical solution for any military force is to engage Zedd's forces and then try and eliminate us. The only way they could hope to get us both would be with high yield explosives or nuclear weapons, but they would never do that in a city."

"It's okay Billy," Kimberly said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to figure it out."

"Kim's right," Jason said. "I always appreciate your insight, but if you can't figure it out it's okay. You are right, if we stay here we're in trouble and if we escape we're likely playing into their hands, but at least then we could try and figure out what they're up too."

Billy took a moment to collect his thoughts and refocus. "You're right, I need to take this one step at a time." He said trying to act composed.

"Okay," Jason said. "Then let's get out of here and we'll figure this out later."

The Rangers nodded in agreement and gathered up their belongings in their arms before activating their teleportation beacons. Nothing happened.

"Not again," Adam said becoming frustrated with the constant interference.

"Looks like we're going to have to try and sneak out of here," Jason said.

"Then we need to get out of these clothes," Kimberly said. "We stick out like this."

"Fine," Jason said. "But we need to move quickly."

The Rangers split into two groups and quickly found semi-secluded places to change, tucking their jumpsuits under shelves and behind boxes. No sooner had they finished than an alarm sounded.

"Looks like they know we're out," Billy said.

"Can we slip away in the confusion?" Jason asked.

"It's worth a try," Billy said. "I think we should all keep our Morphers in hand though."

The Rangers proceeded to the front of the armory. Just as they were about to open the door a group of soldiers burst in. There was a moment of shock, the soldiers apparently surprised to see the Rangers in the armory. In this moment the Rangers thrust their Morphers forward transforming in a burst of light.

"They're in the armory!" One of the soldiers shouted into his radio.

"Look, we're not going to hurt you," Jason said raising his hands up to chest level, his palms opened.

A sudden burst of plasma flew past Jason and hit one of the men in the chest burning through his body. He collapsed to the ground, smoke rising in wisps from his charred flesh. The soldiers immediately responded pulling their pistols and firing on the Rangers. The pistol rounds were bouncing harmlessly off the Ranger's armor leaving only a light scuff on their armor. Two more men, who had apparently been guarding the entrance swung in from the doorway brining up their M16s.

"They're here," Billy shouted over the gunfire.

Before he could say anything more a barrage of plasma bolts flew from the darkness, each shot landing in the chest or head of another soldier in seconds all the men were lying dead on the ground. Billy whirled around scanning wildly for any sign of the attackers, his visual modes changing constantly.

"I can't see them," Billy said.

The others could hear footsteps coming down the hall and shouting.

"We're going to have to go through the back wall," Jason said.

"But those things are back there somewhere." Ashley protested.

"We can't go through the soldiers," Jason said heading toward the back as he manifested his sword. "If we do those things will only gun them down!"

With some reluctance the others followed after him. Reaching the back wall with no interference Jason made several quick strikes to the wall before throwing a hard roundhouse into it sending several sections of two foot thick reinforced concrete flying out.

"Straight out until we can teleport!" Billy shouted.

"Run!" Jason shouted as he directed his friends through the opening before following them out.

"I thought they'd never leave," Blue said. "Time to get this party started with a bang!"

As the Psychos decloaked, clad again in their imitation Ranger Armor, Blue pulled another detonator from his belt and hit the button. With a flaming roar the armory exploded around them sending a giant fireball into the sky.

"Kill everyone and burn the base to the ground," Red ordered as the flames subsided into black smoke.

"No," Pink said. "I'm tired of this plan. I'm going to get my Ranger. This is stupid!" She said as she stormed off like a spoiled child.

Red was about to grab her when Blue stopped him.

"Let her go," Blue said. "We don't need her to finish this, and if she succeeds then she'll have nothing to enjoy when the rest of us get to reap the fruits of our labor."

"Right," Red said with a smile.

Blue was monitoring something, a small holographic display projecting from his gauntlet. "The Rangers are clear," he said. "Perimeter shields activated, sound damping, and visual camouflage activated. Now we're the only ones who will hear them scream."

The Psychos began to move forward stepping through the smoke and out into the open where hundreds of soldiers were waiting, behind them attack helicopters were already taking off.

"No one gets out alive," Red said.

The other Psychos nodded as they rushed forward into the deafening hail of gun fire.

The Power Rangers landed on the other side of the chain-link fence, their superhuman abilities allowing them to easily clear the ten foot fence and the razor wire that lined the top. As they landed the Rangers quickly demorphed and took shelter amid the trees of Custer Park on the western edge of the base. The explosion had worked in their favor drawing attention away from them allowing them to escape quickly. Now safely in the trees they stood for a moment watching the smoke billow up from the base.

"All those people," Ashley said watching the smoke rise.

"If we had stayed they would have killed more of them," Jason said.

"I think we're clear to teleport," Billy said checking his beacon.

"Then let's get back to the Command Center and figure out who these monsters are," Jason said.

The teens activated their beacons, relief washed over them when they felt the energy crackle around them. Suddenly Psycho Pink burst through the trees tackling Kimberly just as she was teleporting; her energy stream was rerouted in a mess of black and pink energy.

The other Ranger materialized in the Command Center only vaguely aware of what happened.

"Where's Kimberly?" Ashley asked.

"Was that thing that got her one of them?" Adam asked.

Billy was already at the computer frantically trying to locate Kimberly's beacon, but was having no success.

"I can't locate her," Billy said as he continued to modulate the frequency desperately trying to lock onto a signal.

"What do we do Billy?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," Billy said punching his hand down onto the console. "She's gone, I don't know where they took her, and the signal is jammed."

With a sense of defeat Billy stepped back and slumped into one of the chairs.

"What's going on?" Aisha asked.

Jason spun around suddenly; he had forgotten that Adam's friends were here.

"Something took Kimberly," Jason said.

"What do you mean something?" Shawna asked.

"We don't know!" Billy snapped. "Look, this is our problem not yours, so just stop asking questions!" He looked toward the floor placing his hands on his head in frustration.

The three teens were suddenly quiet.

"Easy Billy," Jason said, though he was feeling about as lost as Billy at the moment. "Adam, maybe this isn't the best time for them to be here right now," Jason said trying to keep his tone calm.

"Okay," Adam replied as he escorted his friends out of the main chamber. "I'll explain it to you in a minute," Adam promised.

Adam looked back at Jason for a moment; he had already taken a seat next to Billy and was talking quietly and calmly to him. Ashley was curled up in another of the chairs with her face buried in her arms. Adam lowered his head as he entered the Medical Bay. His friends were already sitting on the beds looking at him expectantly.

"Did we do something wrong?' Aisha asked her eyes moist with forming tears.

"No," Adam said softly. "It's just been a long and hard day."

"You don't have to tell us now," Rocky said putting his arm around Aisha's shoulder. "We can wait until you're ready."

Adam nodded as he collected his thoughts, but the stress of the situation was crashing down on him so quickly. And it wasn't just today; it was everything that had happened recently, all the trials since Josh's death and all the pain he had seen, all those lives lost. Sitting down he bowed his head, tears began to stream down his face as the pain and stress of it all finally found some release. Aisha walked over next to him and sat down putting her arm around him resting her head on his shoulder. Rocky and Shawna joined them sitting quietly next to their friends as Adam quietly poured out all the pain he had been keeping bottled up.

A Black Hawk exploded in the air as a plasma bolt ruptured its fuel tank. The hulk fell to the ground as the burning passengers were blown out of the sides impacting lifelessly on the ground below. A storm of plasma lit up the shielded sky as more aircraft were returned to the ground in flames until the tarmac was ablaze with burning wreckage.

"This really isn't challenging," Black lamented as he fired off several bursts falling a few more soldiers.

"It's like shooting fish in a barrel," Red said as he continued to fire at the soldiers, their bullets ricocheting off his armor.

"And while we're doing this little miss impulsive is probably off having the time of her life," Yellow said as she put a bolt through the head of another officer.

"I will admit this is tedious," Blue said shooting the leg of a soldier just to watch him fall before putting another bolt through his torso. "But it is necessary for my plan to come to fruition."

"And what would that be?" Black asked as he skillfully sent a bolt through two soldiers.

"Well," Blue began shooting a soldier through the neck causing his head to hang loosely by the flesh as the spine was vaporized. "What we are doing is forcing the Rangers into hiding," Blue pulled a different detonator from his belt and hit the button, the entire Air Base lit up as every structure exploded. The concussive force of the blasts killed some soldier outright and ruptured ear drums of others who collapsed holding their heads.

"That was pretty," Yellow said.

"I know that much," Red said trying to keep Blue on topic.

"Well they're still going to come after us," Blue said.

"Right," Red agreed as he walked over to a soldier writhing on the ground and stomped on his head shattering it.

"How do you think they'll do that if they can't be Rangers in public?" Blue said with a grin.

"They'd just come without morphing," Black replied.

"Exactly!" Blue said putting a bolt through a dying soldier. "You're not as dumb as you look."

"So what?" Red replied. "They weren't morphed when they were in their cells, we could have taken them then."

"Ah, but then people would be looking for them," Blue said.

Yellow put a bolt through the back of another soldier trying to crawl away. "So what do we get if they aren't looking for them?" Yellow asked.

"More time," Blue said. "If we take them back to the Dark Fortress and they escape it could be disastrous, but take them to a deserted island with no way for them to escape and we have all the time in the world to hunt them down and kill them."

"And why can't we do that without all this pretense?" Black asked.

"Because," Blue snapped becoming annoyed that the others weren't catching on. "Military and UN officials receive reports from the Power Rangers. If that wretched automaton they have were to report that the Rangers were missing and that there was an energy shield over some island how long do you think it would be before we had people bursting in to ruin our fun! If the world no longer supports them then they won't be receiving communications about their activities, or will be likely to ignore them and no one else has the technology to locate us!"

"Oh I get it," Yellow said with a smile. "So when we're done here no one is going to be interested in helping Rangers anymore, or even looking for them."

"Well, they will be looking for them," Blue said placing a bolt in the back of a fleeing soldier. "But not in a good way."

"Is that everyone?" Red asked looking around.

The field was littered with the bodies of dead men and women and twisted hulks of burning metal. The air reeked of burning flesh and oil. Blue lowered his head and reached one of his hands out moving it in a slow arc. The other Psychos followed suit. Using their highly developed and enhanced sense they were searching, looking for that steady rhythm of a heart beat, filtering out the noise from the fire and the explosions, the hum of the shield generators.

"Nothing," Blue said.

"Me either," Yellow replied.

"I'm clear," Red added.

"I've got one," Black said.

"Where?" Red asked anxiously.

"Ten meters that way," Black said pointing.

The Psychos moved quickly over the corpses and debris of their massacre reaching the location Black had specified. Looking around they could only see a pile of corpses lying on the ground. The one on top was charred black and still smoking.

"So where is this guy?" Red asked.

"There," Black replied pointing down.

Blue and Yellow began pulling corpses aside as Black scanned each one before shaking his head. After going through a few Yellow raised one and Black nodded.

"Our sole survivor and he's unconscious," Blue sighed.

"I'll fix that," Red said as nano-machines raced along his finger tips constructing a vial of ammonia which he then crushed under the man's nose.

The man recovered, twitching in Yellow's arms as he opened his eyes slowly.

"There now he's conscious," Red said as the soldier became dimly aware of where he was.

"Good," Black replied putting a bolt through his heart.

"Now is that everyone?" Red asked.

"All except those who made it to the emergency bunkers," Blue replied.

"So now we have to clear those out?" Black sighed falling on his knees.

"No," Blue replied pulling another remote detonator from his belt.

"Where do you keep getting those?" Yellow asked with a laugh.

"So this one, does what?" Red asked.

"Well to reward those cowards who hid rather than fight I have prepared something especially nice. In each of the four fallout bunkers, stashed amongst the supplies, I have generously left a canister of VX poison gas and a one-way audio transmitter." Blue said pushing on the detonator. "Which means as we speak they are all dying of asphyxiation due to involuntary muscle contraction." Blue dropped the detonator on the ground and placed his hand to the side of his head listening to the transmissions. "Oh good, they're all dying nicely. So shall we go now?"

"So that's it?" Red asked.

"Well there is one more thing," Blue said as he produced another detonator.

Yellow bent over placing her hands on her knees laughing hysterically.

"Just to cover our tracks," Blue said pressing the button.

There were a series of explosions around the base as the equipment the Psychos had distributed to keep the shields functional were reduced to scrap. Blue tossed the detonator on the ground.

"Now we're done," he said folding his arms over his chest.

The other Psychos did likewise as the four vanished from the base. All around people were thrown into a panic as they watched Mitchel Air Force Base burn unable to do anything. The sound of sirens began to cry out in the distance.

Kimberly was thrown out of her teleportation onto the ground in a jungle location. She tumbled to a stop banging into a fallen tree. Her eyes snapped open as she had only the vaguest impression that something had attacked her. Wherever she was it was getting dark, twilight already creeping over the towering trees. She pushed herself to her feet looking around for a moment before activating her teleporter beacon. She was disheartened as nothing happened.

"That won't work," a seductive breathy voice said from behind her.

Kimberly uttered a startled scream as she whirled around to be confronted by her double in Ranger Armor. She leapt back putting a little distance between her and the Pink Ranger that stood before her.

"Who are you?" Kimberly asked reaching for her Morpher. It was missing!

"Were you looking for this?" Pink asked holding up the small metal buckle containing a golden coin. "You're more than welcome to it if you can get past me." She teased placing the Morpher on the fallen tree as she stepped over it to face Kimberly.

"What do you want?" Kimberly asked trying to buy a little time.

"I thought that would have been obvious," Pink said, the similarity of her voice to Kimberly's was disturbing.

Kimberly brought her arms up ready to fight.

"Before we do this I would like to get out of this horrible disguise," Pink said as her armor began to bubble and blister.

She tore through the costume as her body began to revert to its normal shape. Kimberly recoiled to see the hideous creature tearing through the melting form. Psycho Pink cast the remains of the festering ooze aside standing before Kimberly in her true Ranger form for the first time. Kimberly stared at Pink; her own reflection the only thing she could see in the creature's visor.

In the same instant both charged forward. Kimberly dove forward planting her hands and flipping over attempting to bring her right foot down on Pink's head. Pink quickly raised her arms and blocked the strike and pushed against her leg throwing Kimberly back on her face.

Kimberly struggled to her feet, her right foot feeling as if she had just smashed it against a rock. It was already obvious that without her powers she was no match of this thing. Fighting through the pain Kimberly raced forward and began to cartwheel toward Pink. Planting her feet just short of Pink's reach she launched herself upward flipping over the Psycho Ranger. Landing behind Pink she reached for her Morpher, but no sooner had she touched it than Pink landed a knee strike into her side cracking several ribs and throwing her into a nearby tree. Kimberly smacked her head into the trunk splitting her forehead open. She fell to the ground; blood trickling down her face.

In an instant Psycho Pink was on top of her and had grabbed her by the neck. With a sudden yank she hoisted Kimberly off the ground and slammed her against the tree. Tears ran down Kimberly's face as the pain from her ribs became unbearable. With a forced breath she managed a sob, the act of breathing only making the pain worse.

"At this rate you won't last very long," Pink said; her face only inches from Kim's.

Pink smiled as she watched the blood drip down Kimberly's check. Her abnormally long purple tongue snaked from her mouth as she ran it up the side of Kimberly's face lapping up her blood. Kimberly tried to turn her face away.

"Oh you taste so good!" Pink exclaimed in ecstasy.

Kimberly tried to kick Pink as her legs dangled helplessly below her, but her attempts were useless. Pink finally dropped her to the ground, the jarring impact causing her to slump over in pain. Pink paced back and forth as Kimberly lay on the ground pulling herself into a ball cradling her body.

"Maybe I should have let you have your Morpher after all," Pink said as she sat down on the log next to the small device.

After a moment of thought she tossed the Morpher onto the ground in front of Kimberly. With a shaking hand Kimberly slowly reached out and took the Morpher pulling it inward and holding it against her body. She continued to lay there for a moment contemplating her options. Even if she were to morph she wasn't sure it was going to be a big help. The power from the Morpher should provide her with some healing and give her back her mobility, but it was unlikely that her bones were going to completely mend. Then there was also the real possibility that this thing was going to kill her slowly if she morphed. She was probably going to die here either way. No, she couldn't allow herself to start thinking like that. If she morphed she had a chance, no matter how small, she still had a chance.

"What's taking you so long?" Pink asked impatiently resuming her pacing over Kimberly's huddled body.

With a flash of bright pink light Kimberly began to transform. As the armor plating was forming Pink rushed in and threw a hard kick to Kimberly's stomach sending her flying. Her body crashed into the ground as her transformation completed. She rose to her feet, still in pain, though it was more tolerable now.

"That was a cheap shot," she said staring at Pink.

"Get use to it," Pink said. "That's the closest to me being nice that you're gonna get!"

Pink charged in while Kimberly held her stance. Kimberly was trying to get a feel for this thing's aura, but she could sense nothing. Pink met her with a brutal roundhouse kick. Even as Kimberly braced against it, blocking the strike with her forearms she was knocked back, her arms stung but were otherwise undamaged. As she stumbled trying to stay on her feet Pink rushed in again landing an elbow into the left side of her visor. Kimberly closed her eyes as the visor shattered. She could feel the shards of it prick her skin repeatedly.

Before she could react she felt an uppercut land directly under her jaw sending her tumbling over backward. As her body hit the ground she quickly removed her helmet and tossed it out in front of her. She could hear an impact as something made contact with it as she rolled clear. Finally opening her eyes she came to her feet.

She saw Pink coming in with a wild swing just in time to block the attack, knocking her arm aside. Having an opening for the first time she threw a swift punch of her own into Pink's chest. The Psycho Ranger twitched slightly as her fist made contact, but it was immediately clear that no harm was done.

Pink lashed out with a front kick to the center of Kimberly's chest. Fortunately Kimberly managed to cross her arms and caught the kick between her arms. Twisting her hands around she grabbed hold of Pink's leg and threw her into the air causing her to spin. Taking advantage of the moment Kimberly leapt up throwing a kick into Pink from below with her right before slamming her heel into Pink moments later with her left. With a crack Psycho Pink hit the ground.

Kimberly landed manifesting her bow firing a barrage of shots toward Pink, but the Psycho Ranger quickly pushed down on the ground propelling her body into the air as the shots raced under her. In defiance of physics Pink righted herself in the air and landed on her feet, assisted by some invisible force.

"Not bad," Pink said running her tongue over her lips. "I actually felt that,"

Kimberly ignored her comment and launched another volley of arrows. Pink quickly leapt into the air controlling her spin to weave through the web of pink bolts. At the same time she manifest her own weapon, the black bow forming in a dark pink haze. The main body was dark and jagged with what almost appeared to be a series of dark pink, thorny vines weaving in and out of the jagged form.

Pink fired several shots of her own at Kimberly as she spun; the first grazing Kimberly's right cheek. The second was avoided as Kim swung her right arm back. The third pierced through her left shoulder. Kimberly screamed as the arrow seared her flesh and muscle as it slid between her clavicle and rib cage breaking through her shoulder blade as it exited. She dropped to her knees letting her bow fall to the ground as she gripped her wound. She looked up with tear streaked eyes to see Pink standing over her.

"You're not very durable no matter what I do are you?" Pink asked looking down at her. "I knew humans were weak, but I really expected more from you," she said as she backhanded Kimberly sending her to the ground. "I mean, are you even trying?"

Kimberly began to break down, her body shaking as she sobbed. What was she going to do? It was hopeless. This thing was superior to her in every aspect. She didn't have a chance to beat it. She had to escape. Gathering her strength Kimberly rolled onto her back and slammed both feet into Pink's stomach. The Psycho Ranger flew back as a streak of pink energy trailed from her mid section. Kimberly leapt to her feet before Pink had even hit the ground and began to run frantically through the darkening forest. Pink plowed into the jungle floor, shocked for a moment that that little girl had taken her by surprise, she would have to watch that.

As Pink leapt to her feet she could see Kimberly disappear behind a tree, the thick jungle giving her a fair amount of cover. Pink immediately ran after her in pursuit. If she managed to get too far away from her the portable jamming device on her wrist would be useless. Pink sprung at a tree bouncing off it in a streak of pink light toward another. Within moments of bouncing from tree to tree she again caught sight of her target. Reaching back she pulled a small grenade from her belt and tossed it out in front of Kimberly.

Kimberly saw a small object land in the mess of debris that covered the ground and jumped to the left to avoid going over it. She had barely passed it when the device detonated with a bright white flash. Kimberly convulsed for a moment nearly falling to the ground. Pink energy coruscated over her body as her morph destabilized. Her vision blurred as she tried to keep going, her armor phasing between matter and energy radiating pink light in the darkening forest like a beacon. Feeling nauseous she fell against a tree, barely managing to hold herself upright with her arm. In another convulsion she vomited. Though she felt light headed she forced herself to go forward, her senses dimming as she stumbled through the trees.

Behind her she could hear the sound of laughter growing closer and closer the sound blurring into a horrible cacophony of shrieking. Ahead, through the haze of her vision, she could see a brighter area that she continued toward. There was another convulsion as she fell to her knees, her armor exploded in a radiant burst of multi-shaded pink light. She fell forward on her hands spewing stomach acid onto the ground. Running on nothing more than adrenalin in shear terror she managed to stand and go forward.

Coming to the edge of the tree line she paused for a moment disoriented and on the verge of total collapse she stood there starring blankly into the small clearing. She began taking small steps, her feet shuffling through the dead leaves and twigs. As her strength gave out she fell to the ground. Still she tried to crawl forward driven only by the instinct to escape.

Psycho Pink reached the edge of the trees to see Kimberly dragging her body through the glade and leapt from the trees at the prone Ranger. Suddenly she bent in half as an ethereal arm emerged from the air delivering a palm strike to her waist. The force of the impact sent her flying back into a tree snapping the thick trunk in half and sending splinters flying.

Pink rose from the ground to discover she was actually hurt; her stomach and back were throbbing, what was that? She looked out through the darkness to see a figure standing between her and Kimberly. The form was dark, a helmet appeared to be on the head, but had plates that swept down the side like a samurai's kabuto. Pink switched her visual mode, but found the figure still appeared as a black silhouette even through light enhancement.

"What are you?" Pink asked irritated at this interruption.

The strange figure said nothing, but fell into a fighting stance taunting Pink to attack with his hand.

"I guess you're determined to be a nuisance," Pink said cracking her neck and readjusting her spine. "Normally I'd make you suffer, but I want to get back to my precious Kimberly quickly." Pink replied as she manifested her bow and fired off several shots in rapid succession.

With incredible speed the warrior struck each shot, deflecting the attacks to his sides. With the shots dispersed he remained poised between Pink and her prize. It was already obvious to Pink that long range attacks gave the warrior too much time to react, she would have to finish this in close quarters.

As she raced in the warrior moved forward to meet her, making sure to create plenty of distance from where Kimberly had collapsed. Pink lashed out furiously with her right arm, but found it entangled in the warrior's grip before she was slammed into the ground. The calling of birds was heard above as flocks took to the air as the shockwave from the impact radiated outward.

In a fit Pink wrestled free of his grasp and leapt to her feet launching a spinning crescent kick. The warrior quickly blocked with his left arm causing Pink to fall on the ground. Her strike had not even moved him. In her growing rage Pink lunged at the warrior throwing several strikes to his chest, but in a blur of movement he blocked each one before placing a side kick into her chest sending her flying into the trees. Her body smashed through tree after tree carving a swath of destruction like an open wound into the jungle.

Disoriented Pink pulled herself from the ground and began to march toward the figure only to discover she had travelled over half a mile from her previous location. With a scream of rage she sprinted at the warrior at full speed. Coming upon him again she swung at him with all her might. With a graceful sidestep the warrior moved from her path and caught her arm. Throwing her over his right shoulder he continued to hold her left arm with his right as he threw a hard strike into her side with his left hand sending her flying into the woods again impacting into a large rock. The large stone exploded as Pink hit it.

Furious, Pink jumped to her feet ignoring the intense pain in her side as rubble rained down around her and dust swirled in the air. Her vision was a blur as her anger rose. Her mindset so focused that she was unaware that the warrior had torn her left arm from her body, the black sludge that passed for blood running down her side.

The warrior looked for a moment at the arm in his hand. Running his hand along the length of the gauntlet he found a small device attached to the arm and with an effortless tug pulled it from the forearm. He held the device in his palm for a moment before crushing it in his grip.

"Communicator beacon located," Beta said.

"What? Where?" Billy said jumping up from his chair.

"Liberia." Beta replied.

"Everyone get out here now!" Jason shouted into the intercom.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked entering from her room, her eyes red from crying.

"Beta found Kimberly's communicator," Billy announced.

"Why are we still standing here then?" Ashley asked as she quickly joined Jason and Billy.

Adam emerged from the Medical Bay. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We found Kimberly," Jason said. "Billy, I want the cycles ready to go, if those things are there I want to give them a fight they won't forget."

"Already on it," Billy said as he finished inputting the data.

"Alright guys," Jason said, his confidence already returning. "It's morphing time."

Pink flew at the warrior in a blind rage; so consumed by anger that she attempted to throw a flurry of punches with both arms, her left shoulder lurching forward as she lashed out with her phantom limb. With great prowess the warrior managed to block her random strikes, flinching only slightly as her left shoulder moved as if confused by her actions.

With a fast strike the warrior slammed his own fist into Pink's chest, her armor collapsed inward. Pink was suddenly shocked out of her state of madness as she struggled to breathe, her lungs crushed by the deformation of her armor. With a blaze of green light the warrior manifested a long staff like weapon. With a rapid whirling of attacks, his weapon blurring like the beating of insect wings, Psycho Pink was dismembered. Her legs were cut out from under her at almost the same instant as a strike took her other arm before removing her head. Her torso fell to the ground as multiple points of pink light flashed in the darkness as her morphed state failed. Her head rolled off onto the edge of the jungle. The warrior drew his weapon back as it vanished.

Slowly he turned toward where Kimberly lay on the ground. Kneeling next to her he placed two fingers on her neck checking for a pulse. Finding her still alive he carefully rolled her onto her back. Removing his helmet he leaned over her face feeling the soft breathes from her lips on his cheek. Gently he brushed the hair from her face caressing her cheek. Keeping his hand on her face he made a gesture with his other hand. A soft sea green glow washed over Kimberly's body as her wounds began to close up. She stirred as the light faded; inhaling deeply her eyes began to open slowly.

There was a sudden downpour of light as four streaks of colored energy rained into the glade in a box around Kimberly. As the light from the teleportation streams saturated the area the warrior faded away as if he were no more than a shadow. Kimberly regained consciousness to see the backs of Ashley's and Billy's battle armor. Glancing around for a moment she could see Jason and Adam behind her. She blinked slowly as if waking from a refreshing sleep, but was suddenly snapped back into reality as she remembered the sinister ranger that had captured her. She sat up suddenly and jumped to her feet.

"I got nothing," Billy said, a searchlight illuminating the darkness.

"My scanners aren't showing anything," Adam reported.

Ashley turned in her massive armor to see Kimberly standing behind her. Unable to contain her excitement she disengaged from her armor and leapt onto the ground embracing her friend.

"Oh my gosh, I was so worried," Ashley said squeezing Kimberly, relief washing over her.

"Ow, not so tight," Kimberly replied. "I'm not morphed."

"Sorry," Ashley said letting go and stepping back. She noticed the blood on Kimberly's clothes and the hole in her shirt. "Are you okay?" she asked in a panic.

Kimberly looked down at her shirt where the bolt had burned a hole through the shirt, the skin under it was perfect, as if nothing had happened, but she remembered being shot. "I think I'm alright," Kimberly said running her finger along exposed skin under the hole.

"Where's that thing?" Billy asked as he continued to look around.

"I don't know," Kimberly replied. "The last thing I remember I was running from that evil Ranger, she hit me with something and then I just have this vague sense of running, then I woke up and you were all here."

"Ashley, get Kimberly back to the Command Center." Jason ordered. "The rest of us will look around the clearing and then we'll join you."

"Right," Ashley replied.

"Be careful," Kimberly said. "That thing was powerful; I was no match for her."

"We will be," Adam reassured her.

With that Kimberly and Ashley, along with her battle armor, vanished in a blaze of light.

Astronema sat quietly in her quarters holding a data slate in her hand. A frozen image on the screen, one of the last images Psycho Pink had transmitted before her signal was terminated. Whoever this warrior was he was going to be trouble. He had taken on Psycho Pink and defeated her with little effort; a feat that she was certain would have been difficult for anyone except perhaps Lokar and Lord Zedd. She needed to show this to Lokar quickly, this might be the same individual who had sabotaged the security center on the Dark Fortress allowing that cursed Red Ranger to enter and destroy the OMP Shield Generator. With a sigh she rose to her feet and teleported down to the Palace.

She materialized in the corridor outside of Lokar's chamber. Even knowing he had selected her to join him in his shadow organization to maintain order in the Empire just gazing upon the large doors filled her with a sense of foreboding. Gripping the data slate tightly she walked slowly toward the door, compelling her legs to move despite her fear. Raising her armored fist she knocked against the strangely crafted gateway.

"Enter," Lokar's voice came from within.

Astronema composed herself as she pushed open the malevolent construct the eyes of the creatures carved into the door seemingly following her. Ignoring the whispers in her mind she entered into the room attempting to sound strong.

"Lokar, we have a problem," she said entering the room.

"Oh?" Lokar said turning from whatever he was working on; the table sinking from sight before Astronema could see its contents.

She extended the data slate to him. Lokar took it, his attention held for a moment as he watched the visual data from Psycho Pink's final moments. With no hint of concern he passed the data slate back to Astronema.

"And where is your little toy now?" Lokar asked.

"We lost her signal when she was killed," Astronema replied. "But last we knew she was in a jungle in the country of Liberia on the continent of Africa."

"Show me," Lokar said.

Kimberly was sitting in the main chamber of the Command Center talking with Ashley, Shawna, and Aisha. Rocky was present, but preferred to sit back and listen to Kimberly's story. He had questions like the rest of them, but had quickly discerned that she had little knowledge of the new enemy and after Billy's outburst earlier he felt it was unwise to be too persistent. If the others were ever going to trust him the best place to start was to show them some respect and demonstrate he could be helpful instead of a nuisance. Then maybe they would be willing to let him help. His thoughts were interrupted as three streaks of energy rapidly descended into the main chamber.

"Well?" Kimberly asked as Billy, Adam, and Jason rematerialized.

"We checked the entire glade," Billy said holding out his hand. "And this is all we found."

In his hand was a small mangled device, it appeared to be crushed, and pieces were missing from the shell and possibly from the compacted internal mechanisms as well.

"What is it?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not sure yet, it's substantially damaged, but I'll see what I can find out." Billy replied as he proceeded to his workstation demorphing as he went.

Jason and Adam powered down.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked addressing Kimberly.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm not sure how though, even the injuries from my fight are gone, but I just don't remember what happened."

"I wonder if it could have been that Shadow Ranger," Adam speculated. "He has helped us out in the past."

"I think that's unlikely," Billy replied, apparently eaves dropping from his workstation. "If you recall our initial encounter with the Shadow Ranger and these imposters he did alright against them, but clearly did not outclass them. Given the time Kimberly was absent, the rough account she gave us, and the damage we found to several trees around the glade it is likely that whoever intervened was able to turn the situation around quickly."

"Is it possible she escaped?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "At this point anything's possible, but until I know exactly what this device does and the impact losing it would have on a battle I can't even make an educated guess."

"Don't forget guys, we still have the problem of clearing our name to deal with." Jason said.

"What if we testified?" Rocky asked. "We're not Rangers, so shouldn't they listen to us?"

"You are friends of Adam though," Billy noted.

"I appreciate the offer," Jason said. "But Billy's right, if they won't believe us there is little chance they'd listen to anything you had to say either. We need to find someway to prove our innocence if we truly want to clear our names."

"Maybe we should go back and search the area around the glade?" Adam suggested. "If that thing was wounded or damaged she might still be somewhere nearby, that thing Billy found might even be the equivalent of our communicators."

"That's a stretch," Billy said dismissively before reconsidering what Adam was saying. "Still it's possible. However, given our previous encounters with them I would think they have become adept at jamming our scanning devices. We didn't detect their presence on the Time Shadow or at the incident in New York or at the Air Base. That would limit you to a visual scan, though I'm fairly certain they can even cloak themselves from sight, not to mention that enough time has passed to allow her to get a significant distance away in an unknown direction which would only complicate matters."

"Billy makes a good case," Jason said. "With it already dark and not knowing which direction to look there isn't much chance we'd find anything. I think our time would be better spent trying to think of a way to lure them to us."

"Do you have any idea how to do that?' Adam asked.

"Not yet," Jason replied taking a seat.

Lokar stood next to Astronema in the center of the glade. So far her scans had been unable to locate Psycho Pink or her remains; the beacon built into her Morpher didn't appear to be transmitting. Lokar looked around casually, but could not sense her presence. What he did sense however, was of interest to him.

"There is more energy here than just that of the Rangers." Lokar said.

"Do you know who that energy belongs to?"

"I do not. There is an energy mixed with the remains of Psycho Pink's power, but there is also a reek of power spawned from arcanum most foul. I cannot distinguish if these are separate powers or one and the same. Either way there is nothing more to be gleaned from remaining."

Lokar turned away as a dark red swirl of energy gathered before him. He stepped through the vortex. Astronema glanced around a moment longer wondering what had become of Psycho Pink. Had the Rangers taken her body? Maybe the other Psychos had recovered it? Or was it possible she was still out there somewhere? She shook the thoughts from her head and proceeded after Lokar. The portal closed behind her, the energy dispersing like a mist leaving the glade shrouded in the cool darkness of night once again.

In the recesses of the Cavern of Skulls Diabolico paced his chambers. Ancient books were laid on the table, the pages formed from human flesh, their words written in blood. Since the time he had returned he sought a way to keep the gateway to the Shadow Realm open, to create a doorway through which he and his kind could return no matter how many times they were struck down, so far however, the answer had eluded him. The tomb seemed to be the only nexus to the Shadow Realm and with the warlock's power broken the gateway had become unstable, a tempest rage in the empyrean between realms making any further attempts to return more treacherous. Without a beacon in the material world it would be impossible to find the path from that Realm to Earth.

His thoughts were interrupted as a figure began to emerge from a darkened corner of the room. As he came into the light the black armor betrayed a deep green tint, the brazen shield a dull rust color still held a slight sheen in the torchlight of the chamber. The charred Morpher on his belt held a stone within it. The dark jewel swirled with a black flame that flickered with ethereal greens and blues as it burned within the facets. Diabolico starred at the Ranger for a moment, his own burning red eyes reflecting back in the visor.

"What are you doing here?" Diabolico asked.

"I have found something that may be of use to you and your allies Lord Diabolico," he replied tossing a dripping burlap sack on the ground before the golden demon.

The bag fell open as an arm slid partially from the opening, the hand resting on the floor at Diabolico's feet. Diabolico looked up quizzically at the Ranger.

"Wormhole detected," Beta announced.

Billy nearly tripped as he rushed to the main console. Reaching the controls his hands danced across the panel.

"What is it Billy?" Jason asked.

"It's the Time Shadow!" Billy exclaimed bringing up the visual on the holo-display.

Everyone gathered around to see the brilliant explosion of blue and violet energy as the fabric of space-time was torn open. The Time Shadow burst from the rupture, racing straight toward the earth. Suddenly another craft emerged, pyramid shaped. Behind it several shots flew from within the breech and two more vessels tore free following on the heels of the other two ships. Their profiles were menacing, clearly some form of warship.

"What are those?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't know," Jason said as four ships raced toward Earth. "But this doesn't look good."


	13. Chapter 13

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-13-

Suddenly more shots ripped through the wormhole into real space, one of the bursts impacting on the aft shielding of one of the two warships. A violet shell blazed around the craft for an instant as it absorbed the laser strike before once again fading into transparency. Behind the ships the anomaly was quickly closing, but before it sealed several Velocifighters streaked through the tear continuing to fire a hail of laser beams at the fleeing ships.

"I don't think those two ships are after Trip," Billy said.

No sooner had Billy made his statement than one of the two warships, a deep blue ship with markings in red and silver unleashed a blaze of plasma bolts from several turret mounted batteries on the top of the hull destroying the fighters.

"Incoming transmission," Beta relayed as the communication began to stream through.

"Billy, this is Trip we need these four ships teleported to hangers as soon as possible."

"Who are these others with you?" Billy asked.

"Other Rangers from other worlds," Trip replied.

The other Rangers immediately began to ask questions, but Billy raised a hand to silence them. He had questions as well, but now was not the time for them.

"Transmit your communication codes to Beta and we will teleport all the craft immediately," Billy said.

"Hang on," Trip replied. "I'm relaying your instructions."

"Communication codes acquired, teleportation sequence commencing." Beta said.

The Command Center lights dimmed for a moment, the hum of the internal systems struggling as the power was diverted to the teleportation system; the holo-display shutdown, the image blurring to white before dimming to darkness. The Rangers could feel the ground shake slightly as the ships materialized in the hangers below. The lights came back up and the hum of the Command Center's systems resumed.

"What was that?" Rocky asked apparently a little unnerved by the experience.

"It takes a lot of power to convert matter into energy and then back again," Billy replied. "The Command Center can normally accommodate us, but moving four huge objects like that from orbit is almost more than the system can handle."

Billy turned and activated the com link. "To our guests, I am sending you the teleportation key, when you have powered down your craft please send it through the communications channel and you will be teleported to the main chamber."

"Understood," came a voice that the Rangers were unfamiliar with.

"I wonder who these new Rangers are," Kimberly wondered aloud.

"We'll find out in a minute," Adam said finding himself a little anxious to be meeting people from another world.

"Astronema!" Lokar shouted as he stormed onto the bridge of the Dark Fortress clearly distraught.

"What?" Astronema replied trying to curb her annoyance with his disregard for all protocol.

"What are The Lost doing here?" he demanded.

Astronema cursed under her breath. How had he discovered the arrival so quickly? They had barely registered on her sensors before they had vanished again. According to a transmission that had arrived only moments ago they had been engaged in battle with the thirty-seventh fleet in the Delgati System which was nearly four-hundred thousand light years away. Even the hyperspace drives of Lord Zedd's forces were not capable of such speed.

"I am waiting for an answer," Lokar said noting her pause.

"Perhaps we should discuss this in my briefing room," Astronema replied trying to give Lokar a silencing look.

Lokar glanced around for a moment at the Quantrons on the bridge. With a sudden lashing out of his right arm he cast arcing bolts of energy around the bridge burning holes through the automatons. Their metal shells fell to the ground, limbs twitching slightly as the residual energy discharged from their frames.

"There now we have some privacy," Lokar barked.

"What is wrong with you!" Astronema snapped. "Do you know how long it takes to load the operations software to these things?!"

"Do you understand that The Lost are here and could ruin everything?!" Lokar replied.

Astronema would have continued her angry exchange, but the lightning that danced within Lokar's eyes cautioned her against such thoughts. The Lost were indeed a problem, and one they had not counted on. Initially it had only been one of them, but during the assault on KO-35 two more had escaped and eventually found the other one. Since then these nomadic Rangers had launched raid after raid into The Empire supply lines disrupting numerous campaigns throughout the Universe. While never significant enough to turn the tide of a war in the enemy's favor these actions had slowed military campaigns to a crawl requiring valuable time to restore invading forces to full strength in order to deliver the death blow to the world. With all the time they had already lost on Earth they did not need more setbacks. Of course, what Astronema knew Lokar truly feared is that this was the one time The Lost might actually tip the balance of power.

The recent conflict with the Machine Empire had decimated Zedd's personal fleet, and his actions only weeks ago had come at the cost of Serpentera. While rumors of the War Zord's destruction had been denied there was no doubt suspicion amongst the other Fleet Commands as more and more vessels were pulled from their normal assignments to reconstitute Zedd's armada. While she was certain no one would dare to question Lord Zedd openly it was apparent that with the unforeseen complications in the Earth Campaign that even those who feared Zedd would certainly begin to wonder if he truly was as all powerful as they had come to believe. While she and Lokar had begun to circulate reports to help stem the rumors that had begun to breech the surface of Zedd's well regulated war machine, it was only a matter of time before these small cracks turned into enormous chasms unless something was done to give proof to Zedd's unlimited power.

"Perhaps their involvement would warrant the lifting of Lord Zedd's ban on lethal force allowing us to finally lay siege to the Command Center and destroy it?" Astronema offered.

"The problem there is two fold," Lokar began. "Without Serpentera the shields of the Command Center would holdout against our forces long enough for the Rangers to escape, and secondly to even suggest such a thing to our Lord would imply that these Rangers are actually a threat to his might."

"But they are!" Astronema retorted.

"And that is why we must find a way to deal with the matter! I would think you of all people, who has tasted Lord Zedd's wrath and lived, would understand how dangerous it is to question his dominance."

Astronema turned from Lokar with a sigh starring out the main window into space. She ran her hand over her abdomen, the cybernetics buzzing slightly as she moved. He was right, truth was of no consequence; it would not cause Zedd to see reason. If the Psycho Rangers or the others had done their job in the first place that other Ranger would have never had the chance to locate The Lost. More alarming was the speed with which he did it.

"It seems to me the catalyst for this unfortunate incident is that new Green Ranger who arrived yesterday," Astronema said. "He departed early this stellar cycle, we thought perhaps he had fled and was not intending to join the Rangers."

"But then he returned with The Lost," Lokar replied finishing her sentence. "This new Ranger must have great power to discern the location of The Lost from such a distance."

"Do you think it is possible he has foresight?" Astronema asked.

"Perhaps," Lokar replied. "But speculation will get us nowhere; we need to find a way to deal with these new elements."

"The problem as I see it is that Lord Zedd will allow us to kill The Lost or this new Ranger, but will not allow us to kill Zordon's Rangers. This is the limiting factor on our options," Astronema said folding her arms across her chest. "The only option available to us is a surgical strike."

"Into the Command Center?" Lokar said with a laugh. "And how do you plan on getting an operative into the Command Center?"

"We already have one," Astronema said coldly.

"Our Lord would never agree to that," Lokar said, a hint of condescendence in his voice. "It's much too early."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Astronema asked hostilely.

Lokar placed his palms together resting his chin on his index fingers for a moment gazing over the tips of his fingers. Astronema continued to watch him, small ripples of lightning danced through the thick quills that covered his head as his thoughts became more focused.

"We should provide additional assistance to the Psycho Rangers for the time being. If they continue to prove unable to dispatch the Rangers we will have to become more directly involved. In the meantime I will bring the matter of the unknown power before Lord Zedd to seek his direction in the matter."

"But he doesn't even know there is another power involved."

"Which is exactly WHY I must seek his will in the matter," Lokar said with heavy emphasis.

"Right," Astronema muttered as Lokar turned and walked from the bridge.

Astronema sighed and activated her com system. "Ecliptor I need a new bridge crew."

"Empress?" Ecliptor began to question.

"Just hurry and get them up here."

"Yes my Empress,"

The Rangers stood by nervously as Trip was the first to materialize in the Command Center in a blaze of green energy. His body was clad in his Time Force Armor; Circuit was perched on his shoulder.

"So what's going on Trip?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, what happened this morning?" Billy added.

"I promise I'll explain when this is all over," Trip said. "But I have one more task to complete."

Circuit flew to the console. As he perched on one of the instrument panels his eyes shifted to green as he accessed Command Center systems.

"I replaced the crystal, but there's no where to put the Zord Trip," Circuit replied.

"Then just get the Morpher and leave the Zord where it is." Trip replied.

"You want to clue us in on what's going on?" Jason asked.

"I'm getting one more Ranger to help out," Trip replied. "Short answer is I had a vision this morning that showed me where we could get some help."

"That didn't seem too complicated to mention," Kimberly said.

"It's a lot more complicated than you think," Trip replied.

Before anyone else could say a word another Ranger materialized in a blaze of shimming yellow light. His armor was a deep onyx, the visor visible in the uniform surface of his helmet by a gold lining that surrounded it shaped like two capital 'E's back to back. His gloves and boots were a metallic shimmering white with Gold bands running over his arms and legs. Around his torso was a golden armor not dissimilar to the Dragon Shield Josh had worn except that it continued around the entire upper body. The upper part was shaped in several large rings that ran around his body and over his shoulders. On the outer track of the uppermost ring strange runes encircled the armor. In his hand he held a staff with an ornate golden head that mirrored the symbol on his helmet on the top and a short blade on the bottom.

"Guys," Trip said. "Allow me to introduce Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger."

Trey demorphed, his energy dispersing into streaks as the icon on the staff opened absorbing the energy into a red jewel which was centered in the emblem. As his armor vanished the staff retracted into the symbol leaving the golden icon in Trey's hand. Trey attached the device onto the side of his belt as if holstering a weapon. He was dressed in sleeveless black robes, the edges of which were embroidered with gold; the strange runes that had been on the armor ran along the embroidering. The robe ran down to his calves, but was split in the front and back revealing black cloth pants and dark boots that appeared to be crafted from metal or stone.

Billy was the first to step forward to introduce himself as the other Rangers followed after him. After which Adam's friends were introduced as two more streaks of red and silver materialized.

The two new Rangers appeared to have a shared origin as both armors were similar. The first was a Red Ranger, whose armor was nearly solid red with white gloves and boots with white trim except for a white belt that holstered a blaster and a strip that ran across the chest in white with several shimmering boxes in multiple colors. The helmet had a large black circle around the forehead above a white rimmed visor. Unlike the Gold Ranger there was a mouth piece, but metal plates were closed over it. The Silver Ranger was nearly identical in style save that he had gold trim instead of white and the squares on his chest were black. Unlike the Red Ranger he had no visible weapons.

"And these two are Andros and Zhane, the Red and Silver Space Rangers of KO-thirty-five," Trip said.

The two Rangers placed their arms at their sides and powered down, their armor shattering into a wash of energy that quickly dispersed. Andros was dressed in a gray jacket with various patches indicating rank and allegiance and pants with black boots; a red shirt was visible beneath his jacket. His hair was streaked between brown and blonde and hung at shoulder level. Zhane was dressed similarly except that his jacket and pants were black and his shirt was a metallic silver. His platinum blonde hair was like a bright flame. Andros wore his Morphers on his wrist like Trip, he also seemed to have another similar device on his right wrist. Zhane's Morpher was not visible. Once again the introductions began.

"Well now that everyone's acquainted I need go take care of one more thing." Trip said.

"Wait, you said you knew where my sister was." Andros said, his tone was serious and his eyes locked onto Trip.

"I promise you I will tell you when I get back," Trip said. "Like I told you if you are going to get her back it will mean defeating Zedd,"

"Relax man," Zhane said placing a hand on Andros' shoulder.

"Don't tell me to relax," Andros said turning the fire in his eyes on Zhane.

"Look, I get it," Zhane said. "I really do, but Trip hasn't given us any reason to mistrust him, just let him do what he needs to, you know they need all the help they can get here."

"Fine, go," Andros said looking away. "But you better know where she is," he said as Circuit returned to Trip's shoulder.

"I do," Trip replied. "But you're not going to like it," he said as he vanished in a flash of green.

"I'm going to get some air," Andros said as he walked out of the Command Center.

"Sorry about that," Zhane said trying to force a smile. "He's been under a lot of stress since Lord Zedd destroyed KO-thirty-five. His sister was taken when he was just a boy, not knowing if someone close to you is alive or dead for so long is really hard."

"Yeah," Kimberly replied quietly.

The huge doors of the Command Center opened as a draft wafted into the main chamber.

"How does he know where he's going?" Billy asked.

"He's been here before," Zhane replied. "We both have actually."

"When?" Billy asked.

Zhane thought for a moment, "I'd say about ten years ago, maybe nine. KO-thirty-five joined the Alliance about four hundred years ago when we mastered hyperspace technology, since that time we'd worked with Eltar, Aquatar, Liaria, Edenoi, Miranoi, Drifose, and Triforia to name a few." Zhane paused for a moment as he noted the blank expressions on many of the Rangers faces. "Anyway," he said trying to get back to the point. "When an Alliance world begins its own Ranger program it's customary discuss the matter with Zordon," Zhane paused for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear what happened to him, he was a good friend."

"Thanks," Jason said.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Zhane began again. "At any rate, when KO-thirty-five began the Space Ranger program our leaders came to Earth to meet with Zordon along with approximately twenty candidates who were selected for intensive screening… Andros and I were the only one's who made it."

"While I think it good that we get to know one another," Trey said half interupting. "I think our time would be better spent figuring out how to defeat Lord Zedd."

"Well right now we have another problem," Jason said. "We have some Ranger doubles out there pretending to be us."

"They seem to be trying to frame us." Billy said. "Though the purpose isn't really clear."

"Maybe they're trying to get you decommissioned?" Zhane offered.

"Except that we were selected by Zordon," Jason said then pausing to considered his words. "And Ninjor," he added. "The point being we don't answer to any government directly."

"What do you know about these imposters?" Trey asked taking a seat.

"Not much I'm afraid," Billy began. "We know that they are superior to us in power and fighting ability, that they can take on different appearances, and that there were five of them,"

"Were?" Zhane asked.

"One might be dead, I hope," Kimberly said.

"They also can jam the equipment in here," Aisha said.

"Yes," Billy said. "Everything from communications to the teleporter. We had encountered something like it the other day, but it was a huge generator on Astronema's Dark Fortress, what these other Rangers have appears to be portable, and as a result less powerful."

"And what exactly have they been doing to frame you?" Trey asked.

"Seemingly random acts of violence disguised as us," Billy said. "While I admit it might make us look guilty to some people, the radical shift from sanity to crazed rampages, killing innocent people without reason is so far fetched that even if they begin to persuade people it's unlikely that it would convince anyone in the UN."

"You may be approaching this problem too logically," Trey replied.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"As I understand it you have multiple governments on this planet correct?"

"Yes," Jason replied.

"Does this UN of which you speak exercise control over all of them?"

"Only to a limited degree," Billy said. "They're more of a supportive body to the world governments, a council of nations in a way."

"So it is conceivable that these imposters aren't trying to turn the world against you, maybe they're only trying to turn some people against you?"

"What would be the point in that?" Billy asked. "Even if they could turn a military power against us the weapons on this planet aren't developed enough to pose a threat to us. It would take a high yield explosive to do any damage to our Ranger Armor."

"The point is that there may be no real point. The enemy might merely be sowing chaos and chaos can be much more devastating than any well crafted plan." Trey said folding his arms across his chest.

General Hamren's helicopter hovered over the smoldering ruins of Mitchel Air Force Base. Even from the altitude he was at the smell of smoke and charred flesh was thick in the air. On the ground below military forces were securing the area and assisting local Firefighting efforts, though it seemed everything potentially dangerous in the area had already been destroyed. Hamren was having a hard time believing that the Rangers would have gone this far, his superiors were not likely to believe it either. This was clearly a set up. It had struck him as odd when General Lawler had informed him that the Rangers had killed innocent civilians. Even if they had been showing signs of PTSD this was far beyond that.

Still if he could find any evidence here against the Rangers perhaps he could at least spin the story a different way, possibly get them called in for questioning, if he did this right maybe he could even get enough consensus among members of the UN to finally have their powers given to more fitting candidates. It was clear from the horrid display below that the Rangers had either had no regard for life as they battled with this new enemy or had abandoned the soldiers here to save their own lives. But, which of these two scenarios was more believable?

"Sir, the area has been secured," the pilot relayed.

"Then take us down," Hamren replied. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

The HH-60 Pave Hawk slowly descended into an open area near the end of the runway. V-22 Ospreys were lifting off from the ground after deploying more troops while OH-58 Kiowas patrolled the skies above. Further down the runway Chinooks were deploying Humvees equipped with turret mounted machine guns to waiting soldiers. Others were hard at work setting up emergency lighting for the approaching nightfall. Tall shadows already reached over the base as the sun rested atop the distant buildings of New York City.

As the helicopter touched down the door slid open and General Hamren was greeted by an officer.

"General," the man replied saluting. "I'm Captain Stevens,"

"At ease," The General replied returning the salute as he disembarked from the helicopter, both men having to shout to be heard. "What is the situation?"

"We received reports from the local Fire Department at sixteen twenty-seven that Mitchel Air Force Base was on fire after several reports from civilians. After several failed attempts to establish communication we dispatched a search and rescue force. Initial reports were that the base was completely lost. We're presently looking for any evidence as to what occurred."

"I can tell you this much," the General said looking around at the carnage. "The Power Rangers were involved in this."

"Surely you don't mean they were responsible for this, sir?"

"Not directly," Hamren replied. "But they were involved, that I know as fact."

The Rangers were sitting around quietly in the Command Center. There had been an awkward silence after Trey had suggested that there was no real reason behind the enemy's activity. Billy was taking his opinion to heart. He had assumed that Zedd's warriors had a plan, a reason for everything they did, but it was possible that there was no reason, or that this reason was not logical or well thought out. Zhane and Trey seemed to be enjoying the peace, having taken seats around the holo-display. Looking at how many people there were now it was clear that the Command Center facilities would have to be expanded. There were no longer even enough seats in the main chamber to accommodate everyone, and Trip had said he would be returning with another Ranger. Of course this was only a small consideration compared to living arrangements, but it would be the easiest to resolve.

Andros had still not returned. Ashley had mentioned checking on him, but Zhane had dissuaded her saying that Andros needed time to cool off first. It was strange, but Andros and Zhane seemed almost opposites, though such an idea was a hasty judgment considering Andros had been present for mere minutes before departing.

Billy quietly rose from his seat and walked to his workstation. He began entering commands to start producing a series of bunk beds and dual level nightstands with lighting along with more chairs for the main chamber. The time estimate displayed on the screen, seventeen hours. He decided to take the Dragon Zord reconstruction offline for the moment, the new Zord was still only fifty-two percent complete even after two days. The estimate readjusted, two hours; that was more acceptable. Billy set the Molecular Assembler into action and opened a few of the old files from those that Circuit had been unable to unlock.

Kimberly was in her own world at the moment her body still feeling a little nauseous from whatever that creature had done to her. The medical scan she had received upon her return had shown nothing out of the ordinary, in fact if anything she was too healthy given what had transpired. She had been trying to remember the events of her battle, but most of it was a blur. She barely remembered anything after that device had detonated. She was certain that she had been shot through the shoulder however, and yet the only evidence that such a thing had occurred was the nickel size hole in her shirt, the fringes of which were burned. The others had found her in a clearing in the jungle, but she had no recollection of ever finding such a place. The last thing she could remember she was stumbling through the forest trying to escape that thing. Yet when she had woken up she had the vaguest sense of peace and happiness as if waking from a beautiful dream. Someone had intervened on her behalf, but who?

In her heart she wished it had been Joshua, that he was still alive somewhere watching out for her and the others, but the idea was silly and little more than wishful thinking. With all she had recently learned about the Alliance and its vast resources it was just as likely that other forces were at work here. Then there were these new Rangers, who knew how many more there were on other worlds and if any had made their way to Earth.

"Hey Trey?" Kimberly said.

"Yes?" Trey said opening his eyes.

"What happened to the Alliance?"

"I'm not sure what you mean,"

The other Ranger's interest was drawn to the conversation as Kimberly reworded her question.

"I mean, where are all these worlds and their armies now?"

"Most of them have been destroyed by Lord Zedd's Empire." Trey replied. "When Eltar fell most of the remaining Alliance worlds surrendered rather than be annihilated by Zedd."

"How long has all this been going on?" Jason asked.

"The war?" Trey thought for a moment. "The conflict that now threatens the universe began over twelve thousand years ago when the Eltarians came to the defense of a world called Phaelon that found itself under attack by Lord Zedd's armies. It was there that Zedd and Zordon first met, though Zordon was only a Captain at the time. The Eltarians fought bravely and Zordon nearly defeated Zedd, it was only by misfortune that Zedd was able to survive, though he was forever disfigured by the wizard which has led him to despise Zordon. In the end, however, Zedd's forces were too numerous and were able to drive the Eltarians from Phaelon. Over the millennia Zedd's army has continued to grow, but within the last twenty years he has personally grown greatly in power and was able to raise an army larger than any ever assembled and began conquering the known universe."

"What changed?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure," Trey said. "But it wasn't more than a decade after that, that world after world began to fall. Liaria was the first to fall in a brutal surprise attack. At nearly the same time the Machine Empire who were, at the time, allies of Lord Zedd launched a strike against Triforia. We were almost completely defenseless and the battle was short."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Trey sighed for a moment as the memories began to flood back. Jason could see the pain in his eyes.

"If you don't want to talk it about it's okay," Jason said. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's fine," Trey said gathering his thoughts. "You see Triforia was a Utopia; a place of great peace and prosperity. We had long since left the art of war behind and devoted ourselves to bringing peace to the universe. It was only after we joined the Alliance that we developed the Gold Ranger Morpher and built the War Zord Pyramidas as a defensive precaution, though most of our defense was provided by Eltar."

"How did your people achieve a Utopia?" Billy asked intrigued by the idea.

"It started as a small group of people, The Order of Chiozia in the ancient days of Triforia. The order sought to meet the needs of all within it through the sharing of resources and taught an understanding of people by first understanding that the whole of our people would never be united by a common thought and by teaching the universal truth that might rules."

"Isn't that like might makes right?" Kimberly asked.

"No," Trey replied. "Might can enforce a rule, but it can still be unjust. Differences in morality will forever be an issue and no one can ever eliminate the basic nature of a being to preserve itself, to the detriment of all others if need be, this will even result in the idea of justice being whatever is of benefit to the person in question. What we teach our children is to respect the opinions of others, not to agree or to compromise or conform, but to acknowledge differences and accept them. It was in the abandonment of trying to force conformity that we became a unified and diverse people with free exchange of ideas and thoughts. And through the prosperity of the Order their teachings spread through out Triforia."

"But what if…?" Billy began.

Trey raised a hand to stop him, "I understand the many 'what ifs' that may come to mind as many occurred as the Order grew, but it was the ultimate prosperity of the Order that lead to the eventual Utopia. We would have never achieved it if entire generations were not willing to lay their lives down to see this goal achieved, and that is the greatest barrier for any creature to overcome, the desire to perish for the benefit of others."

"That's incredible," Jason said.

"It was magnificent, and we had achieved so much good for other worlds. Not in doing what we thought was best for them, but helping them to reach their own goals. But, when Zedd attacked Liaria most of the Eltarian forces were drawn from Triforia to protect the Liarians."

"Who are the Liarians?" Ashley asked.

"A peaceful race of beings who dwelled within the jungles and forests of Liaria. They did not build cities, or weapons for war. They were a quiet race who sought enlightenment and one we found a deep kinship with."

"What happened to them?" Billy asked coming over from his workstation.

"Zedd mercilessly wiped them out." Trey replied grimly. "It was a great tragedy, after crushing the fleets of the Eltarians Lord Zedd's War Zord Serpentera transitioned into the system and opened fire on the world of Liaria completely destroying it. The sudden arrival of Serpentera ensured that no evacuation was able to be arranged. I doubt the Liarians even knew what was happening until it was too late."

"How horrible," Kimberly replied.

"In the chaos created by Lord Zedd's attack the Machine Empire was able to slip through one of the many holes in the Alliance patrols and stage an all out attack on Triforia. I still remember that day, never before had I seen so large an army…"

Trey along with a group of Triforians sat gathered around a crescent table facing a large hololithic display in an expansive room filled with resplendent works of art and detailed craftsmanship. As the display flickered to life Trey turned his gaze upon the large image as it came into focus on the hololith. The towering image was that of an Eltarian commander adorned in his platinum and gold armor, the design of which had changed little over the millennia. In the background Trey could see members of the crew scrambling to their stations as the commander began speaking.

"Lord Trey, we have just detected a large fleet of warships that have transitioned from hyperspace on the far side of Munari…"

"Triforia's second moon," Trey explained.

"We have hailed them and they have given us a declaration of war. We are preparing to engage the fleet, but we are no match for them."

"Has word been sent for Alliance reinforcements?" Trey asked rising to his feet.

"It has my Lord, but with the war raging above Liaria and the rest of our forces on scattered patrols it could be a considerable amount of time before any reinforcements arrive."

"I see, then I suppose I have no other recourse left, I shall join you momentarily." Trey replied as the communication was cut off.

"My Lord what shall we do?" a woman on his left asked.

"Evacuate the countryside; get as many people into the cities as possible." Trey replied. "I will try to gain more time for our people to get to safety."

"What if some wish to leave the planet?" another man asked.

"If they so choose we will not stop them, but advise everyone that we have enemy craft in orbit and we can not guarantee their safety." Trey said as he began walking away from the table pulling a golden icon from his belt.

"Wait my Lord," one of the men said. "You must have the consent of the people!"

Trey paused and turned toward the man, "Issue the report, if they disapprove I will return to the Administration, but if they disapprove, however, issues orders to the Eltarian fleet to withdraw, I'll not see our people sit by while others die to protect us."

As Trey turned away a black staff burst from the icon which Trey took hold of. Raising the staff above his head the icon snapped open as a red jewel blazed with an intense light. In a burst of blinding light Trey was transformed into the Gold Ranger as he proceeded to exit the room. Coming to an elevator, he entered and was thrust suddenly upward into the giant pyramid structure that rested above the Administration building, acting like a capstone for the large hive-like city below. As the elevator doors opened Trey stepped out into the cockpit of the enormous War Zord; his presence immediately signaling the systems of Pyramidas to power on.

"I thought you said you had no form of government?" Billy said. "It sounds like you had a parliament of sorts."

"It was more a council of representatives, a body to respond to crisis while the will of the people was determined. We made no laws and governed no one. We merely were the reflexive body of the people. If you wish to define it as a government you may, though no one on Triforia saw it as such."

Trey took his seat in Pyramidas as the engines of the War Zord roared to life. Like a floating city the massive Zord rose from the ground and raced toward the heavens.

King Mondo sat upon his great throne on the bridge of The Machina, Queen Machina stood to his left while the young Prince Gasket wandered about nearby. His body was not unlike Sprockets, though his armor was green and silver. Such was the standard mold for young machines until their cybernetic matrixes developed enough to power a more useful form. On the holographic display at Mondo's right an image appeared of a tall hulk of a machine, his armor a deep polished green. His silver face was skeleton-like in appearance, a modification that Mondo never had cared for, but one that seemed to invoke fear in their enemies.

"What is our status Commander Gearsar?"

"All ships have safely made transition into the Laun System My Liege. Eltarian resistance looks to be minimal, we are preparing to encircle the planet."

"Very well," Mondo replied. "When the net is spread The Machina will deliver the killing blow."

Mondo cut the communication, the image of Gearsar fizzling out in a wash of static. Mondo looked out from The Machina as the large warship cleared the shadow of Triforia's moon. Before him were seven Eltarian warships, certainly no match for the might of his Machine Empire. Large gear shaped warships were already breaking formation to enclose the planet in a web of cogs. Soon this world and all who lived on it would know what it meant to oppose the Machine Empire.

"All our weapons are online and ready for battle Sire." Klank reported from his monitoring station.

Mondo smiled as he looked out toward the world of Triforia. "Soon my Queen we will take back the world which rejected us and sent us into the void."

"You have to understand their interest in our world," Trey said. "In the early days of the Triforian Utopia we used labor drones called 'Cogs' to build our new world. The neural matrix that each Cog possessed was a networking learning machine. The matrix was a living metal capable of forming new connections much in the same way as neurons connect in the brain. Over the course of time these labor drone developed a collective consciousness and achieved sentience. Believing that such a unique race should not exist as slaves the Cogs were given several ships and allowed to leave Triforia after which it was agreed upon never to employ robot labor again. None know what happened to them once they left, or how they came to see us as oppressors, but when one of our rescue teams responded to a distress call from a damaged Machine Empire ship we discovered they had become a war oriented society and sought to bring the galaxy to order under their own directives."

"That seems very logical and direct," Billy said. "If they had taken your idea of Utopia and sought to bring it about in the most efficient and logical way possible then conformity would likely be the conclusion they reached."

"Perhaps," Trey replied. "Regardless all attempts we made to understand the Machine Empire met with failure. And their first campaign against our world began only to be thwarted by the Eltarian forces and the Gold Ranger power. Against our wishes the Eltarians developed a virus that took advantage of the Machine Empires hive mind to eliminate them. While this ended the war on Triforia and gave the Machine Empire incentive to never return it resulted in the collapse of the network and the individual minded machines that now exist."

"We're fairly certain that the rest were destroyed when they attacked Lord Zedd over a year ago," Billy said.

"Interesting," Trey replied. "Though I have no doubt that remnants still exists amongst the stars. And if their home world still exists it would not surprise me to see the Machine Empire rise from the ashes of defeat once again."

"So what happened next in the battle?" Adam asked eager to get back to the account of the battle.

"I had just joined the Eltarian fleet in orbit with confirmation from my people to engage the Machine Empire…"

Pyramidas took up formation within the Eltarian fleet, panels sliding down around the large craft revealing a huge multidirectional weapons array. Pyramidas drifted toward the front of the small fleet facing the tens of thousands of large warships that were moving toward the planet in waves of large spinning gears.

"What are they doing?" Trey asked over the com.

"It appears to be a standard planetary net deployment," came the reply. "I don't think they want any of your people to escape.

"I shall inform the council then." Trey replied as he relayed the information to the surface for distribution to the masses.

The first of the ships came into range as a hail of fire rained from the small number of Eltarian ships tearing into the circular forms of the Machine Empire craft. The first ship's reactor went critical as the Gear exploded into a bright blue sphere. The Gear behind it halted and began to drift as the violent effects of the EMP caused systems to temporarily shut down. Quadrafighters began to launch from the other Gears.

Trey had held back at first, but it became readily apparent that the Machine Empire meant to destroy their world. As its chosen protector he could not allow this. With a heavy heart Trey flipped up the safety cover on the console and depressed the button underneath. Like a swarm of angry hornets a throng of missiles burst forth from thousands of tubes scattered over the surface of Pyramidas; each weapon a networked guided smart weapon with multiple warheads. Trey was left breathless as the space before him lit in a brilliant series of explosions as Quadrafighters and Gears were torn to pieces in the downpour of fire. Trying to collect himself Trey targeted The Machina still on the fringe of the battle. Flipping a series of overrides he slammed his fist down upon the large red square before him. Armor plating dropped down around the top of Pyramidas revealing a large red cone at the pinnacle of the pyramid. With a bright burst of light a beam of intense energy was discharged mauling the starboard side of The Machina ignoring the shields and nearly tearing the right side from the massive ship.

Trey let out a deep breath as he reengaged the safeties causing the armor plating to slide back up over the massive particle array. Trey's heart was racing from the raw power he had unleashed. He looked at his radar only to discover, much to his despair, that the Machine Empire was still advancing, obvious callous to the grievous wounds he had just inflicted. It had been his hope that such a display of force would cause them to rethink their attack, but they continued to advance in their methodical manner as before.

The Eltarian craft had spread out their formation engaging craft that were now isolated from formation by the random destruction that Trey had caused. The Gears advancing as if nothing had happened, even to their own detriment. Explosions shook the heavens as more Gears were torn asunder, their minimal shielding no match for the Eltarian capital weapons. Though many ships still drifted in pieces through the void firing their weaponry and launching Quadrafighters until their power reserves had exhausted and the fragments were reduced to lifeless husks.

Suddenly one of the Eltarian warships exploded in a giant fireball as The Machina unleashed its full arsenal against it. The clockwork city along the diamond shaped body was several times the size of Pyramidas and housed more firepower than all the Eltarian ships combined.

Trey checked the status of the particle array, only thirty-two percent charged. He quickly fed orders to the missile system to locate and destroy weapon batteries on the surface of The Machina. Then disarming the safety he opened fire with the remaining seven salvos as all other weapons opened fire on the forward shields of the monstrous vessel. A thunderous series of explosions danced along the forward shield of the great beast as Pyramidas discharged its full fury against the behemoth. As the shield failed at multiple points the upper decks of the machine city lit in fiery explosions as entire sections of the craft were laid to waste under the torrent of weapon fire.

The Eltarian ships began to break formation allowing The Machina to pass between them as their broadside batteries were brought to bear against the city. There was a heavy exchange of fire as The Machina was forced to divide its remaining firepower amongst several targets.

Then Trey saw the reason for such a tactic. One of the warships made a headlong run against The Machina smashing its lithe form through the deteriorating forward shield like a spear and flying full force toward the mighty tower behind which a massive gear rotated around the width of the craft. As the craft raced ahead, all power diverted toward the lower aft and forward arcs of the shield, multiple pods fired from the belly of the craft screaming into the city below. Trey knew they were escape pods, but to escape into The Machina was suicide, even if it was a planned assault.

Noticing the eminent danger The Machina broke off firing upon the other Eltarian ships and concentrated all fire on the ship on a collision course. The flood of weapons discharge beat against the warship causing catastrophic failure in the shields. Energy coils exploded and reactors ruptured as the vessel burst into flames sending armored plates spinning in all directions as deadly projectiles, its hull holding together as the engines were torn away in the violent sea of fire.

"How on earth did the ship survive the explosion?" Billy asked.

"You have to understand something about Eltarian ships. Their hulls, at least the frames are a single piece."

Billy looked at him quizzically.

"The frames of their hulls are made in a multi-piece mold in space which then are injected with liquid alloy. It is costly to do, but nothing is stronger."

"Wow," Billy said.

"So what happened?" Jason asked.

"Right, the ship is flying at the main tower like a burning dart…"

With an impact that shook The Machina the solid frame of the craft pierced through the tower like an arrow, tearing a hole through the structure and lodging itself into the tower. Massive power fluctuations could be seen rippling over the hull of the ship as the control system was rerouted to compensate for the damage. The shield flickered and died as auxiliary power was routed to more vital systems. The Eltarian ships were quick to loop behind The Machina and return to make another pass unleashing several waves from their broadsides, raking the city with massed fire while ignoring the pounding they took from other Gears that had begun to converge on The Machina. With a sudden burst of energy the shields rose again, the fury of the Eltarian offensive ended.

Too late the Eltarians realized they were surrounded, each vessel trapped between several Gears and the massive shield of The Machina. Trey opened fire with all batteries, Pyramidas' weapons more suited to being surrounded than most craft.

The Eltarian craft were ripped to pieces in the blaze of fire that burst forth from the Gears, their hulls remaining as burning wrecks until the oxygen onboard exhausted and the flames were snuffed out in the vacuum of space.

Trey broke free of his entanglement only to find himself facing The Machina along with nearly one hundred Gears. Using the gravity of Triforia Trey managed to give a wide birth as an uncountable number of weapon batteries discharged. Knowing the battle in space was lost Trey descended toward the planet prepared to make his last stand at the capital.

As he descended toward the city he sent a communication to the council.

"Pyramidas needs to be rearmed, and I'm going to need an emergency recharge."

"Understood,"

Pyramidas settled atop the massive construct that was the Hive City Sanoria, the capital of Triforia. The structure was itself a large pyramid structure, though unlike the many other cities the capstone of the nearly impenetrable fortress was Pyramidas. The city was already sealing itself as huge slabs slid down the sides over the vast opening that allowed in light and circulated air. Thick armored plating closed over the solar arrays that ran along the surface of the eastern and western faces of the structure. Unlike other worlds that relied on military force to drive invaders from their world Triforia was covered with Hive Cities, tremendous feats of science which could withstand siege for decades. The cities all had geothermal plants that could sustain all vital functions, and the caverns below were used to farm Hymeror Mushrooms, a useful fungus capable of sustaining a Triforian's body indefinitely. There were also hydroponic farms on several levels to provide a variety of other foods, and a rich series of wells tapping into underground reservoirs. Though, in this case Trey knew that the Machine Empire could wait for decades, but they wouldn't, they would come like the last time, their nano-machines would surge through the airways of the city until they were able to locate and interface with the computer systems. It was a weakness the Machine Empire had exploited the last time they had attack and while the cities had been upgraded to hold out against their nano-machines and chemical weaponry, no defense was perfect. Air still had to be pumped through the cities, and Trey was certain the Machine Empire would eventually find a weakness to exploit in the filtration system. The Machine Empire was nothing if not unrelenting and methodical, but they only had to hold out long enough for Alliance rescue.

Trey could not shake the fear however that they had come prepared for a rapid assault. The window of opportunity with Zedd's assault of Liaria did not afford the Machine Empire time for an extended campaign.

The cockpit lit red as the Gears began to descend to the south of Sanoria, their ancient looking forms coming through the clouds in a blaze of fire, the outer shells still cooling from entry into the atmosphere. Their massive hulls were nearly ten kilometers in diameter blackening the plains with their shadows as they plunged toward the surface.

Stopping at a height of several hundred meters the craft engaged their teleportation systems as hundreds of thousands of Cogs were unleashed, their bodies converted back to matter from the multiple storage capacitors onboard. Trey could only watch in horror as Cogs appeared over the plains like a giant swarm of insects.

"Forgive me for what I must do," Trey said as he disengaged the safeties and launched several salvos of missiles out into the plains.

The plains burst into flames as explosions detonated through the lines of Cogs reducing tens of thousands to scrap. Trey did not let up and launched several more salvos as he disengaged the safeties to the main weapon. The blazing red beam burst forth from Pyramidas ripping several Gears from the sky causing large fiery debris to rain down on the wreckage of the Cog army below. Trey hated to admit it, but no display of force would dissuade the Machine Empire. They had returned from annihilation once, and he believed they would do so again no matter how many he cut down, and it was this knowledge that would surely drive them forward against all odds.

As the weapons were set to automatic defense Trey gathered his thoughts. He did not want this, this war. If only there was someway to discuss the matter with the Machine Empire. They had tried once, but the machines had declared their ideal illogical, only through submission could the universe be brought into Utopia. If true justice were to exist someone had to be the absolute power, someone must render judgment, someone logical and without error in their thinking. The Machine Empire had sought to bring it about by first subverting those who had created them. This had been the goal of the hive mind. When that had been destroyed as the result of the necessary evolution the machines took to stem the infectious virus the Eltarians had unleashed against them, the machines had developed the only other system of organization that was logical, a Monarchy.

It was possible if Trey could convince King Mondo to spare Triforia and reconsider his actions this war would end. Mondo was the might of the Empire; he was justice and the truth in the minds of the Machine Empire. His word was law, his rule absolute.

The last of the Gears had been destroyed and only a handful of Cogs remained on the burning plains, yet they continued to march forward to attack. Trey hailed The Machina. Moments later the large clockwork form that was King Mondo appeared on Trey's display.

"King Mondo of the Machine Empire, on behalf of the Council of Triforia, I, Trey, Lord of Triforia, greet you."

"I see your world too has embraced the Power Ranger program of the Alliance," Mondo replied. "Your pathetic forces have already done considerable damage to my ship and to my fleet," he glanced over for a moment. "And I see you have already destroyed the first of my landing parties."

"It is true my Lord," Trey replied. "We have also suffered losses and it is in the spirit of saving life that I have sought to speak with you."

"Have you come to surrender?" Mondo asked. "To pledge your loyalty to the Machine Empire?"

"No my Lord, but I would ask that we set aside our differences. What will be accomplished, what Utopia will there be when so many are dead, when hundreds of worlds lie in ruin?"

"Spoken like a true biological," Sneered Mondo. "You simply do not understand, the biological plague you call life is irrelevant. It is not we, the machines, who are flawed; it is you and other biologicals that have contaminated the universe. When the last of you are wiped out, when this disordered mess you call life has been cured then there will be Utopia and the universe will be at peace."

"Surely though my Lord you can see the value of diversity?" Trey asked hoping Mondo would.

"I see the value of diversity," Mondo replied coldly. "But not all diversity is good. You have a disease that is caused by diversity, malignant cells that cause death in your bodies unless those cells are removed. Such is the biological element. All other elements in the universe are governed by science and logic, but not you heretical individuals, you are governed by nothing you defy logic and mathematic probability with your crude emotions, you are the bringers of chaos, you are the destroyers of order, and you will be eliminated so that the universe may rest in the purity of order."

"Not all life is governed by emotion, or subject to it." Trey retorted. "Your logic is flawed."

"It is not flawed," Mondo replied. "What we know of the biological menace we know from the many sentient races we have encountered throughout the galaxy. It is in the biological element that these flaws have been observed, it would be inefficient to learn if all life shares these characteristics with the great diversity that exists between worlds. It is therefore more efficient to simply destroy all life."

"What of all those things you might destroy that might be of use to you?" Trey asked desperate to find some common ground.

Mondo began to laugh. "What need do we have for these things? We are masters of science; we can build anything we need from the smallest of atomic particles! There is no problem that logic can not solve, no feat that your intuition could resolve more efficiently. I understand your need for self preservation, but we have spent the many cycles since you tried to wipe us out considering all the facets of your position and we can find no logical reason to not exterminate all biologicals. This is the only sound course and I will hear no more of your ridiculous sentiments. This conversation is over."

With that Mondo vanished from the screen. Trey was lost. Mondo saw things from a different perspective than Trey. It was true that his outlook was devoid of emotion, appreciation of the beauty of nature, or a spark of creativity. Without these sentiments, with no appreciation of anything that was not efficient and well ordered there was no reason to spare his race. The Machine Empire did not believe in the gift of life. They had been created for a purpose, and knowing that purpose they did not see life as a gift, but as a duty to be fulfilled. To them this was not personal it was a matter of efficiency. The killing of all biologicals was nothing more in the mind of the machines than removing a broken gear. Difference was only of value to them if those pieces meshed into a fluid machine. His people along with all life had been deemed a broken cog and they had come to remove it from the machine of the universe.

Mondo closed off his communication and rose from his throne taking hold of his scepter, the gears on top springing to life in his grasp.

"Klank, Orbus!" Mondo bellowed.

"Yes Sire?" Klank said coming before his master with a bow.

Orbus hovered to Klank's left. The small spherical droid was little more that a ball. The top of the main sphere that comprised the body was raised on four pistons between which sat a small metal head with two ocular devices and a mouth that was no more than a metal flap. His usefulness was not in his stature however. Within his small frame was contained a highly unstable quantum matrix created by Klank allowing the small droid to impart untold amounts of energy to another machine. While it had yet to be tested Klank was certain that, if the need arose, Orbus' quantum matrix was capable of powering The Machina. The purpose of the little machine had been more of a safeguard against the theft of this new technology. The quantum matrix was connected to Orbus' neural activity. Should anything happen to take Orbus offline the matrix was designed to harmlessly collapse and burnout the internal mechanisms leaving nothing to salvage.

Mondo bid them both rise. "Come with me to launch bay, it's time to test your latest creation."

"Of course Sire," Klank replied pleased that his invention would not be wasted.

The two exited the bridge of the ship and entered an elevator at the back of the craft, the spherical doors closing around them as a tube sealed around the sphere before the sphere was sent hurdling through a series of tubes to the hanger below. The inner chamber was attached to the outer by a series of ball bearings lubricated with a compound producing nearly no friction. With the weighted base within the main chamber the passenger compartment was nearly perfectly stable and maintained its orientation no matter how the outer chamber twisted and spiraled as it raced toward its destination.

Coming to an abrupt stop the container unsealed and opened as sections of the sphere tucked under others. Mondo and Klank stepped from the elevator as Orbus floated behind them. In the middle of the hanger, standing on a massive teleportation pad were three unique warriors of the Machine Empire. Unlike the manufactured Cogs that handled the menial tasks, these were warriors; machines that had, from their inception, been entrusted with sentience and the accumulated knowledge of the Warrior Core. The Warrior Core was a massive supercomputer located on the Machine Empire's 'home world' of Matrix Prime, a massive mechanical planetoid capable of consuming smaller worlds and moons within the blazing maw that ran to the planet's core where any matter was broken down into quanta and used to create whatever need the Machine Empire had. Within the supercomputer was the accumulated data of all warrior machines, from the first Cogs in the early days of the Empire to the most recent of warriors. A backup core also existed within The Machina, but it lacked the immense storage capacity of Warrior Core and was destined to one day become obsolete.

The first of the machines was a large brass colored hulk with a monstrous black drill occupying most of its chest. Multiple optic sensors rimmed the drill, though most were located around the top of the large tool. The arms ended in large claws with large projectile cannons mounted under the claws. The feet were wide with long flat toes extending from all four sides.

Next was a lither machine that appeared somewhat insect-like. An organic look that Mondo did not much care for, but such concerns were not based in logic and therefore dimissed. The black frame was dotted with clear orbs protruding from the natural curvature of the machine's form. Each was filled with a noxious red liquid, a nano-machine virus, dubbed the 'recycler' it was capable of breaking any biological tissue into its base elements making them easily salvageable to the Machine Empire and providing a source of materials for the nano-machines to replicate. Twin sets of arms projected from the back coming over the shoulders and under the arms with giant black scythes. A tail hung from the pod, which the claws protruded from, with a nozzle mounted between a pair of razor sharp pincers.

The last was a large machine that bristled with weapons and large mounted missiles. Two large missiles were mounted on the shoulders, below which was a rocket pack. The arms each had wrist mounted launchers. Two chain guns protruded from the warrior's armor just below and to either side of the neck. Mortar barrels projected from the lower abdomen of the machine. Its white sheen gleamed in the light highlighted by red and yellow sections of armor that formed the gear of the Machine Empire flag on the shoulder plates and knee plates.

"May I present my latest creations, Drill Master, Biohazzard, and Silo." Klank said as each bowed at the mention of their name.

"And these have all been upgraded with the matter transducer you designed?"

"Yes Sire," Klank replied. "All they require is a large burst of energy to begin the reaction."

"Then take them down to the capital and do it," Mondo commanded.

"At once Sire," Klank replied joining the other machines on the teleportation pad.

Mondo stepped back as the teleporter sprung to life, energy began to leap from the plate coursing over the metal bodies of his soldiers. Then in a flash of crackling blue light the four machines vanished as their forms were violently ripped into pieces and transformed into energy.

Below The Machina a large dish aligned with the intended target on the surface before discharging a pulse of energy. The shimmering burst flew to the surface below like a ball of lighting. As the coruscating mass impacted the ground sparks leapt in all directions, the energy dispersing and the four warriors reassembling in a violent electrical storm.

No sooner had the four reformed than Orbus went to work quickly leaping from machine to machine rapidly slamming a conduit that projected from his mouth into the receiver mounted on the back of each machine's neck. As Silo, the last of the three, was infused with an enormous amount of energy the small machine raced back to Klank who caught him in a quick embrace before teleporting out in a quick pulse of light to one of the Gears hovering above the range of Pyramidas.

The three warriors began to run from their positions in three different directions as their bodies began to glow with a fiery green hue. Trey watched in horror from the bridge of Pyramidas as the three machines suddenly began to act like miniature black holes as everything around them was pulled inward generating hurricane force winds and cratering the ground under each. Then with a sudden pulse their forms began to rapidly expand in burning green fireballs as more material was consumed. With a final pulse the burning aura that had surrounded them dispersed, fading in a near blinding flash of light. In the wake of the destruction three titans emerged from the smoldering craters in the plains beyond Sanoria. The machine warriors had increased in mass exponentially and now stood around fifty meters in height.

Trey lifted from the top of Sanoria as he prepared Pyramidas for transformation. The War Zord hovered in the air and began to rotate, bringing its top forward to point at the machines. A head rose from what had been the back of the Zord as Trey's cockpit suddenly rotated and shot upward to rest within the head. Arms slid out from the side as legs descended from underneath the base. The particle array retracted inward as the main body of the pyramid split into four pieces, the upper two rotating to form armored pads over the shoulders while the lower pieces straighten and slid down over the legs adding thick plating to the front of the legs. The main body was now an angular hourglass shape, the particle array sliding up to the chest as a large plate slid down displaying the Gold Ranger icon on the Zord's waist. Finally a plate flipped up revealing the Zord's face as the icon was once again displayed on the Zord's forehead.

Pyramidas settled onto the ground outside the city, its huge feet sinking nearly three meters into the ground as the dirt was compressed under the tremendous force. Trey stepped forward with one foot as the Zord took up a fighting stance. He towered over the machines being just over twice their height.

The three machines exchanged sideways glances as if not sure what to make of the towering war machine. Trey knew he had to make the first move in order to keep them from the city. Launching a salvo of missiles Pyramidas lunged forward, the massive footfalls ripping up huge tufts of earth as the whole area shook.

The machines shielded their faces as the series of explosions dotted their bodies and blackened their armor. As their guard dropped Trey was already on top of them and swung with Pyramidas' right hard. There was a sickening crunch and whine of twisting metal as the massive fist smashed into the chest of Biohazzard cracking one of his orbs. The viscous red liquid sprayed into the air as the machine flew back, his body carving a gash into the ground, Biohazzard coming to a skidding stop. The nano-sludge rained down on the ground consuming the organic matter in the soil as the apocalypse was unleashed upon the surface.

Drill Master stepped forward locking his arms around Pyramidas' left leg and pressed his drill chest into the armor plating. Sparks flew as the drill began to spin furiously, the adamantium tipped drill grinding against the Triforian alloy.

Silo stepped back and unleashed a salvo of his own against the right side of the Zord. Pyramidas stumbled, falling to one knee as the explosions riddled the right side. The armor blackened, but was otherwise undamaged.

Trey planted his left hand on the ground and swung the right arm around backhanding Silo. The machine's chest plate collapsed as it was hurled through the air before plowing into a hillside northeast of the city.

Moving its hand, Pyramidas grabbed the top of Drill Master's body and slammed its fist into the side of the armor of the creature. Metal dented as gears within the hulk were compacted, forcing the main drill to come to a screeching halt, the inner workings twisted into a crumpled mess.

Drill Master backed away firing several shots into the knee joint of Pyramidas smashing shifting plates for the armor and causing some extra tension in the joint, but otherwise accomplishing little.

Trey ignored him as he turned toward Biohazzard who was rising to his feet. Trey could see the red liquid running down the side of the machine. He pulled up the computer analysis to discover the viscous fluid was actually a concentration of tiny machines magnetically bound and emitting EM radiation capable of flash boiling anything within a centimeter, effectively boiling all liquid from a substance and reducing it to dust without the wasteful emissions of carbon cause by fire.

Trey could not ignore this threat and fired the particle array at Biohazzard. The ruby beam carved the staggering machine in two pieces, the halves falling to the ground. Stepping forward Trey detonated the EMP device on Pyramidas. Sparks and electrical currents danced over the ground where the nano-machines were at work and through the inactive body of Biohazzard. Drill Master convulsed as the shockwave overloaded his circuits, his systems shunting the extra power into a storage cell, the excess directed into a grounding system. The pods on Biohazzard's body went dark as the nano-machine overloaded and shutdown. Trey sighed with relief.

Suddenly Pyramidas lurched forward falling on its hand and knees as multiple warheads impacted against the back of the Zord. Trey chastised himself for forgetting about the other one. Pyramidas pushed itself to its feet as it turned to face the new threat while keeping an eye on Drill Master through the Zord's sensors. Locking onto the target Trey launched three salvos of missiles at Silo.

The machine's large chain guns suddenly roared to life as tracer rounds began to streak through the air destroying hundreds of the missiles. Trey shielded Pyramidas' face as some of the shells pounded against the Zord's armor.

There was a brilliant flash of light as thousands of warheads reached their target and delivered multiple payloads to Silo. The war machine exploded in a giant fireball visible from orbit as its core went critical. Trey braced against the blast as the fireball expanded several kilometers before swelling into a mushroom cloud that hung over the battlefield. In triumph Trey turned from the blast to face Drill Master.

Drill Master leapt at Pyramidas taking hold of one of the Zord's arms in its claws before jamming the barrel of its arm mounted cannon into one of the rib joints of the torso and opened fire at point blank redirecting the energy it had absorbed from the EMP to its railgun. Pyramidas lurched as the slug was accelerated to supersonic speeds in less than a second and flung through the Zord bursting out the back armor as the air ionized in the intense magnetic field. The weapon smoked as the coils superheated and burned out rendering the weapon useless.

Trey quickly activated damage control as indicators went red throughout the cockpit. The attack had disrupted power flow to several sections and taken the particle array offline. It was fortunate that none of the remaining guided missiles had been damaged. The gyros were intermittently losing power making balance hard to maintain as the Zord swayed trying to stay upright.

Pyramidas reached with its right arm taking hold of Drill Master's right shoulder joint, the arm which was grappled onto Pyramidas' left arm, and pulled back quickly tearing the arm from the machine. Drill Master fell to the ground as Pyramidas lost its grip on the warrior which fell and landed on its face. Pyramidas also fell forward as the gyros failed again planting its knee into the back of the machine crushing the internals. Drill Master went offline. Trey fell forward placing the Zord's hands onto the ground to keep from falling flat.

Damage control was rapidly redirecting power to get the Zords systems back online. Trey tried to contact the council. All he could manage was audio.

"All threats so far have been neutralized, but Pyramidas is damaged." Trey said.

"How bad are the damages?" a member of the council asked.

"Multiple power disruptions to various systems and the particle array is offline."

"Standby," the voice replied.

Trey waited within the armored titan; the seconds passing slowly as he watched the monitors displaying various attempts and failures to reinitialize Pyramidas' systems. As the gyros came back online Trey pushed the Zord to return to its feet. He rotated surveying the damage. The immediate area around the city had been blackened by the battle, even the solid walls of Sanoria were darkened in places. In the distance he could see a fire burning in the forest near the edge of the destruction. He tried to move toward it but found the left leg was non-responsive. Looking over the monitors he discovered power had been lost to the hip and knee actuators. He activated a menu and set that to take priority over the particle array.

"Trey?" the voice returned.

"Yes,"

"The council has discussed the matter and submitted our thoughts to the people and the consensus is that you should leave Triforia and seek help."

"By how much?" Trey asked.

"Ninety-two percent in favor."

Trey sat back in his seat for a moment. He knew it was only a matter of time before Pyramidas was rendered in operable. Even if he could return to the docking platform at the top of Sanoria it was only one city, thousands of cities around the worlds were facing similar forces and with one Zord he could not defeat them all. The monitor toned indicating power had been restored to the left leg.

"Alright I'll go," Trey replied.

He initialized the transformation sequence. Pyramidas rose into the air creaking and straining as the joints retracted into the body and the armor plating shifted back to reform the pyramid. As the inactive particle array rose into place Trey flew toward the skies bringing shields online and calculating trajectory for a hyperspace jump.

As Trey reached the upper atmosphere he detected the large signature of The Machina waiting for him. Several Gears were close to the large vessel, probably trying to use its signature to mask their own. Trey took a deep breath as the computer calculated his jump point. He set the controls to initiate a hyperspace jump automatically; the location appearing on his display as a blue box. He gripped the controls and diverted power to the maneuvering thrusters. One things Pyramidas had not been built for was agile flight.

As he broke through the atmosphere he could see the powerful form of The Machina holding position directly in front of him. Glancing around he could see that the Gears were mostly distributed around the bottom of the vessel, which made sense given that most of the armaments of The Machina were along the top. Trey could see the jump point, on the opposite side of the control tower beyond the spinning clockwork gear. Trey made a quick decision.

Rising up the Zord raced toward the bow of The Machina unleashing a salvo of missiles, but not into the forward shields, their target was the aft shields. As the missiles raced around to the rear of the vessel the Machine Empire scrambled frantically to redirect power to the aft shields, but it was too late. Thousands of missiles pierced the minimal shielding and detonated along the back of The Machina causing power disruptions to the already heavily damaged craft. Trey pushed all power to the forward shields of Pyramidas as his Zord smashed through the now weakened shields of The Machina.

He then dropped shields, diverting all power to the main engines as he unloaded the last three salvos against The Machina. The city and tower lit bright in a fury of explosions and Trey sailed passed the tower and through the spokes of the large clockwork gear. In a blaze of fiery light Pyramidas leapt into hyperspace. The burst of energy created by the hyperspace jump, being in close proximity to the vessel, caused some of The Machina's systems to short and burnout as Trey made his escape.

"That was the last time I ever saw my home world." Trey said. "When the Eltarians scouts returned they reported that the Machine Empire had left, but the planet was a barren rock. They were certain the nano-machines I had encountered earlier had been the cause, and a review of the image recorders later confirmed it. The machines had burrowed into the soil and entered the underground reservoirs. They were so small the security system didn't register that there was a breech. The Machine Empire didn't even bother to harvest the resources, they used my world and my people as a test bed for their new weapon."

"I'm sorry," Jason said.

"Thank you," Trey replied. "As long as I live though the ideals of my people will live on."

Some of the Rangers nodded in agreement, though no one spoke, unsure of what could be said after such an account of a world's last moments of life.

"Empress, you should have a look at this," Ecliptor said walking in with a data slate.

"What is it?" Astronema asked as she took hold of the tablet.

"It's from a piece of equipment we found on Psycho's Blues workstation."

Astronema scrolled through the schematics looking at the bizarre array of connections and randomly placed parts. She could see no distinct pattern; it appeared to be no more than a random assortment of haphazardly assembled components.

"I don't understand what this is," Astronema said.

"It's the schematics we took from a portable OMP shield generator."

Astronema laughed at the absurdity; that such a small device could produce the same effects as her grand creation was insane.

"It works," Ecliptor said in response to her laughter.

"That's impossible," Astronema replied in utter shock. "What's the effective range?"

"About twenty meters for this model."

"This model?"

"We found plans for another in his computer that is about half a meter in diameter with an effective radius of two miles, according to the design specs."

"It's just not possible," Astronema repeated as she set the data slate down.

"Empress?"

"He can't be this smart, it's just not possible."

Andros walked back into the room amid the silence that had fallen over the room after Trey's tale concluded. It was fortunate timing as it helped to ease the tension left by Trey's account of the end of Triforia.

"You okay now?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah," Andros replied. "I'm sorry everyone, I just let my emotions get the better of me at times, I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"It's okay," Jason said. "From what Trey just told us I can understand why you'd be furious."

"It's true we've all had our hardships," Andros replied, "But his world probably got the worst of it. Though I'm sure he would agree it does not justify my out burst."

Trey nodded in agreement, happy to see that Andros had calmed down.

"How did Trey's world suffer more?" Ashley asked. "I thought your world was destroyed too,"

"It was," Andros said with a sigh as he leaned against one of the consoles. "But our civilian population evacuated, most of them were already gone before Astronema and Lokar arrived." He kicked his foot along the floor. "We weren't allowed to fight; they said we had to guard the transports. So Zhane and I took the Astro-Megaship and Mega-Wing and left. But Zedd's force weren't there to conquer, it was an extermination mission; they destroyed our shipyards along with the Mega-Voyager series of battleships that were still under construction there."

"There is still one other ship out there somewhere," Zhane interrupted. "We had also created a Delta-Megaship. There was a contact we were supposed to meet with who had known the location where the ship was hidden and had the access codes, but after Eltar fell it was impossible to arrange a meeting."

"Anyway," Andros continued. "They leveled out cities, killed everyone who was left and pursued us for several years trying to wipe us out until we finally managed to lose them and find a world on the fringes of the universe and started over. In order to keep the people safe we created more sightings of our fleet with phantom signatures to fool them into thinking the transports were with us, after nearly a year of wandering we stopped."

"It was brilliant," Zhane said with a smile. "They can check every world they know we've been too and they'll never find them."

"It doesn't make them safe though," Andros reminded him. "As long as Zedd exists they're still in danger."

"So how did Trip find you?" Jason asked. "It sounds like you've been all over the universe."

"Now that is a weird story," Zhane replied.

"I agree," Trey replied.

"So what happened?" Ashley asked.

"Well," Zhane began. "We were in the Delgati System, which is about three hundred fifty to four hundred light years from here." Zhane paused for a moment. "Actually Andros you should tell this part."

"Alright." Andros replied. "While we were enjoying the downtime the alarm suddenly goes off…"

"Deca, report!" Andros said coming onto the bridge of the Astro-Megaship.

The bridge, which was bathed in the red pulsing light of the alert, was large and looked incredibly undermanned with only Andros present. The screen was already on, displaying an empty area of space off the port bow of the Megaship.

"Spatial distortion detected," Deca announced, the feminine computer voice projecting to be heard over the alarm.

"Notify Zhane and Trey," Andros ordered. "They couldn't have found us again could they?" Andros said to himself.

"It has already been done,"

"And please turn off the alarms already," Andros said a little annoyed.

"Sorry," Deca replied as the sound died out. "The changes you asked me to make are not part of my systems; the change will have to be made manually."

"I'll keep that in mind," Andros said. "Bring weapons to bear on the anomaly, raise shields."

"Shields at ninety-eight percent efficiency,"

Andros grimaced as Deca made her announcement. He had meant to repair the power regulator to shield generator number six after their run in with the Varox last week, but he had gotten distracted and forgotten completely. It may have been only two percent, but over the last couple years he had learned that in battle even the smallest things could change the tide. The Varox had caught them off guard using this same tactic. Bounty hunters were one of the few types of beings reckless enough to attempt to transition into real space on top of other craft. Empire ships would give a wider birth relying on superior long range firepower and tactics to trap and destroy their enemies, not that they had had much success against them with that regard.

"Engines to full," Andros said as he took the controls.

"Engines at maximum efficiency," Deca replied.

The three craft encircled the rift opening into real space. Pyramidas' ports slid open and the armored cover over the particle array descended. The Mega-Wing took up a firing position directly in front of the growing hole as the twin cannons mounted under the massive wing that constituted the upper body of the craft had a limited forward arc. Though it had other weapons, these were more defensive in nature.

The rift burst open and a small craft became visible as it raced from the opening. Andros' finger twitched for a moment as he contemplated firing, but something about the ship compelled him to stand down.

"Deca, open a com channel, standard uplink," Andros said. "Tell Zhane and Trey to be ready for anything though."

"Channel open," Deca replied.

"Unidentified vessel please identify yourself."

"I am Time force Operative Trip Aeclis of the planet Xybria. This vessel is the Time Shadow."

"I've never heard of Time Force or Xybria," Andros replied.

"We won't have achieved hyperspace travel for nearly another six hundred years. You might find this hard to believe, but I'm from the year three thousand and two."

"And what would you be doing all the way out here?" Andros asked a bit skeptical.

"I was sent to find you."

"By whom?" Andros asked.

"I'm not sure," Trip replied a little unsure of himself. "See I'm a telepath and I received this message that told me exactly where you were."

"That's interesting," Andros said reaching for the kill switch to the com line. "I have telepathic abilities myself, telekinetic too, and I didn't get any anonymous message announcing your arrival."

"I know where your sister Karone is," Trip blurted out desperate to keep Andros talking as he sensed his waning interest.

Andros' hand backed away from the switch. "What do you know?" Andros said, his tone bordering on aggressive.

"I know she was captured by Darkonda when you were a child and taken away, more importantly I know where she is now."

"Darkonda?" Andros was silent for a moment. "Where is she?"

"You'll have to come to Earth," Trip said.

"She's on Earth?" Andros asked.

"It's currently under siege by Lord Zedd," Trip explained. "Zordon is gone and the Rangers there are just barely holding their own against him."

"Give us a minute to discuss this," Andros said. He motioned to Deca to cut Trip out of the loop. "Well you heard him." Andros said.

"He sounds sincere," Trey replied.

"I'm not sensing anything," Zhane replied. "Of course, if he is also telepathic he could be masking himself from me."

"You're taking too long," Zhane interrupted. "I'll tell you the good part. So we obviously decided to go with. Well he tells us that his Time Shadow is nearly out of power and needs to be recharged before he can make another jump. And of course using our hyper drive it would have taken weeks to arrive. So then captain subtle over here," he teased pushing against Andros' shoulder as he paced the room becoming more animated as he spoke. "Gets the brilliant idea to get the power from an Orbiting Fuel Depot belonging to The Empire!"

"It was the fastest way," Andros said defensively.

"So his plan was simple," Zhane continued ignoring his comment. "He and I were going to ride along in the Time Shadow while it was cloaked. Then when we got close enough we were going to use our Galaxy Gliders, which are glorified rocket boards you can ride in space, to get close enough to attach the power coupling to the synthesized adaptor we made using our equipment and charge his ship and hope to get out before something goes wrong. He fully acknowledged that they were going to know something was up as soon as we started siphoning power and that we would be lucky to get out unscathed. Simple right?"

There was some laughter from the teens as Zhane emphasized his point with a goofy expression of doubt. Andros glanced over at Ashley for a moment; their eyes meeting before Andros hastily turned his focus back to Zhane.

"I didn't see you come up with a better plan." Andros said smiling a little.

"Whatever," Zhane said raising his hands. "Not really the point. So we get to the fuel depot and are hiding on the far side of the closest moon using signal dampers since we don't have cloaking like Mr. 'I'm from the future'…"

Andros paced nervously in the cargo bay of the Time Shadow as Trip slowly made his approach toward the space station. The main thrusters had been cut and Trip was using remote air jets that had been quickly grafted the vessel's hull.

"Will you calm down," Zhane said as he leaned his Galaxy Glider against the wall.

The device was essentially a large thick board with a rounded front, foot holds, twin particle guns, and an X shaped pattern of wings on the back. In addition to the main thruster on the back small ports lined the edge of the top and bottom of the board for directional control in space.

"You know we're walking in an enemy base right?" Andros said. "This is completely crazy."

"This was your idea," Zhane replied.

"Why didn't you talk me out of it?" Andros responded shaking his head.

"Because it's about time you got us into a lot of trouble," Zhane replied with a smile. "I'm tired of always causing problems; it's a lot more work than you might think."

"You make it look so easy though," Andros said his mood lightening.

"That's cause I'm a pro," Zhane said rubbing his finger tips against his silver shirt.

While Zhane's constant joking was sometimes an annoyance to Andros, more often it was a needed balance to his often choleric mood. Andros leaned up against the wall and let out a sigh.

"Come on," Zhane said. "We'll be fine, it's not like this is the most suicidal thing we've ever done. Remember that incident on Rhygal?"

"Yeah," Andros replied with a smirk, "You took us down there even though it was full of Trilarian Dragoats,"

"They don't know what those are," Andros said.

"Oh right," Zhane stopped for a moment. "My Earth biology is a little rusty; I'm not sure what to compare them too,"

"They're big creatures with two heads, six legs, wings, a mace like tail, which spits acid, and is incredibly territorial."

"Yeah," Zhane agreed. "So as Andros was remembering how we had come out of that okay, which is another story I should tell you sometime, Trip informs us that were nearly there…"

Andros and Zhane both went for their Morphers. The top of Andros' Morpher flipped open as he quickly entered a code, a safe lock to protect the Morpher from being used by anyone else. In a flash of red light his body had transformed as the Morpher vanished under his gloves. Zhane pulled a small device from the front of his jacket, the black frame having blended previously with his uniform. With the push of a button the device flipped open revealing a silver interior and a series of buttons, Zhane quickly pressed a succession of buttons and the device lit red confirming his input as his body was transformed in a burst of white light; the Morpher vanishing into the confines of his armor.

Both Rangers grabbed their gliders and held them under their arms as the door to the cargo bay opened slightly.

"Low burn only," Andros said.

Zhane nodded as the two of them pushed off the cargo bay floor as the artificial gravity was cut. They rotated in mid leapt and planted their feet on the ceiling before launching their bodies into the cold void of space. The two fell for a moment making sure to get clear of the ship. It was always a weird sensation to float freely in space, no matter which way you faced it always felt like you were upright, though in an ever expanding universe who was to say which direction was truly up?

As they put a fair distance between themselves and the Time Shadow they slid their boards down and locked into the foot harnesses, which were magnetically bonded to the board. Once their boots had locked into the clamps the clamps could slide freely along the surface of the board. With a graceful agility the Space Rangers glided back up alongside the Time Shadow, their armor given the codes to allow them to see it clearly despite the cloaking field.

The Fuel Depot was essentially a floating spire containing multiple reactors that charged a series of hyperspace capacitors. Four long arms at each level extended away from the station with another long arm protruding from the base. While all ships had their own energy cores, a hyperspace jump required a tremendous amount of energy and took hours, sometimes days to recharge off the ship's reactor core. Stations like these littered Zedd's domain allowing fleets to jump from station to station rapidly recharging their capacitors from those already charged on the platform. It was an ingenious solution and one that allowed Zedd's forces to move through the galaxy faster than other fleets.

Trip was approaching the power coupling slowly, maneuvering the Time Shadow into position. Zhane opened a pod on the hull that had been grafted on to hold the adaptor and began to open the power coupling to attach the adaptor to the ship while Andros moved in closer to the station to manually throw the breakers. As the glider came to a slow stop near the spire Andros knelt on his board and opened a small storage compartment that existed at the front of the board and pulled out a small black box with a glossy touch screen on one side and a strange array on the other. He placed the array against the spire. The device activated forming a seal on the hull as it displayed several options on the screen. Andros hit three buttons in sequence as a dull flash emanated from the back of the device as it bored a small hole through the station's armor with a plasma torch. While this might not have worked against a heavier station in a more hostile location, those well within the border of Zedd's Empire were lightly armored to conserve resources, as those who ventured this far in were usually destroyed.

"Get ready to attack," Andros said through the com. "Once this device hijacks the computer system we'll only have a minute or two before they try to manually throw the main breakers."

"I have the command deck locked and the particle array is ready to fire." Trey said.

"That should buy us enough time," Andros said. "Zhane and I will engage the turrets to keep them from looking for the Time Shadow with them."

The device brought up a series of green buttons and options as nano-machines within were deployed through the small hole into the vessel and connected with the station's computer systems. Andros pressed a few more buttons as the device began to crack the system code.

"Code breaking in progress," Andros relayed.

"We're all hooked up here," Zhane said. "So it's on you now,"

Andros took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. The screen turned blue and brought up a rotating schematic of the station. He isolated the central controls and found the bridge controls for the pylon the Time Shadow was connected to. He quickly entered the commands and placed in a five second delay. Then a large orange button took up the display listing the selected actions and time limit with the word 'confirm' below.

"We are going," Andros said pressing the button. He began to countdown with the clock. "In five, four, three, two, one, go!"

There was a sudden glow of red as the beam from Trey's particle array raced overhead burning through the bridge of the station reducing it to molten slag. Andros and Zhane broke from cover. Andros pulled his blaster as Zhane manifest his Silverizer, a type of gun blade with an arm guard, in his right hand. Both began firing on the defensive turrets that had come online, their plasma bolts burning small holes in the armor destroying them bit by bit. The return fire was more devastating. Light flashed from the twin barrels as the laser cannons discharged leaving no visible shot to avoid. Only by staying ahead of the barrel movement were the two able to avoid the attacks.

"Cells at sixty-seven percent," Trip said.

"We have a bigger problem," Trey said.

"What?" Andros asked as he fired a bolt into the center of the dual barrels bringing the weapon to a halt.

"I have multiple signals that just transitioned into the system."

"How many?" Andros asked.

"It looks like a fleet." Trey replied grimly.

"Seventy-one percent," Trip said.

"How long do we have?" Zhane asked.

"A minute or two at best," Trey replied.

"Thirty seconds and we're gone," Andros said. "Activate the remotes for the Megaship and Wing and get them here."

"Already on it," Trey replied.

The Megaship and Wing suddenly appeared as they broke their stationary orbit from behind the moon and raced toward the station. Trey joined formation as the two craft moved passed his position.

Zhane doubled back to the Time Shadow as he unleashed two snap shots, crippled another turret. He came to a sudden halt at the end of the power coupling. Barely visible, out passed the moon where they had been, Zhane could see a distortion in the star pattern, a growing darkness as a swarm of ships cast their shadow over the station.

"What's the status Trip?" Zhane asked, worry in his tone for the first time.

"I wasn't worried. I knew we'd make it." Zhane retorted.

"Just let me finish this story," Andros replied.

"Cells are at ninety-four percent, I need about fifteen seconds." Trip replied.

"They've spotted us," Trey said. "They're now moving at attack speed, we have about 30 seconds until they arrive."

"Ten more seconds," Trip said.

Zhane took hold of the coupling and disengaged the safeties. The latches unlocked but Zhane pushed against the coupling keeping it connected to the Time Shadow. Andros darted from his position toward the Astro-Megaship as fast as his glider would go.

"Done!" Trip announced.

"Pull away!" Zhane said.

Zhane released his grip on the on the coupling as the Time Shadow shifted sideways from the pylon. Sparks arced out as the circuit was still live. One of the bolts caught Zhane and he yelled in pain as the high energy burst hit his suit like a cannon blast.

"Zhane you okay?" Andros asked as he came into the lower hanger detaching from his glider and letting it drift to a stop down the long bay.

"Yeah," Zhane said clutching his arm; the blackened charred armor barely keeping the atmosphere within his suit.

The Time Shadow powered up jettisoning the temporary air packs as explosive bolts detonated. Zhane was already heading for the incoming Mega-Wing, the central bay doors sliding open to catch him.

"They're blocking the closest jump point," Andros said as he boarded an elevator. "Deca, bridge."

"Trust me we don't need it," Trip said. "Let's get to the far side of the station. This ship doesn't use hyperspace, it uses quantumspace, a time-space fold to jump from any two point in the universe in an instant."

"You'll have to explain how that works later," Andros said as the elevator doors opened and he stepped onto the bridge. "Alright guys far side of the station, Trey I'm going to ramp the generators onboard and trigger a meltdown."

"Sounds good, I'll be ready" Trey replied.

"I'm in, let's move." Zhane said. The cargo bay doors sliding closed as he stepped into the elevator. "Ivann, bridge."

"What are these things?" Billy asked. "Deca and Ivan?"

"Deca is the Defense Emergency Command Assistance," Andros explained. "She, it, runs most of the ship's systems in the event that a large part of the crew is killed or injured. Ivann is based on Deca, but was actually designed to run the ship with a crew of one. It is the Integrated Voice-Activated Neural Network. Unlike Deca who has sensors and a central core Ivann is part of the ship, there is no central core, as long as the ship is functional some part of Ivann will be running."

"So anyway," Zhane said, obviously wanting to get back to the action. "There we were running for our lives as Zedd's fleet was closing on us…"

The four ships moved passed the Fuel Depot, Trey moved in behind Trip and Andros and Zhane took up the rear guard. The fleet was nearly on top of the station and several shots flew around it from the ships on the right and left flanks impacting on the aft shields of the Megaships.

"Generators are going into meltdown," Andros said.

"Target locked," Trey replied.

The fleet moved around the station, warships moving over the top and around the sides. As the first of the craft passed the station Trey released three salvos into the station. The spray of missiles arced around the Megaships and detonated against the spire from bottom to top in rapid progression. The ravenous explosion caused an EMP burst amid the massive fireball as sixteen generators all went critical nearly simultaneously. Warships were knocked off course by the blast as their electrical systems were cooked and shields neutralized. The entire spearhead was broken off as the slower bulkier craft were left to plow through the inoperable strike craft.

"Looks like we're clear." Zhane said.

"Don't start celebrating yet." Andros cautioned.

As these words were uttered several hanger doors exploded on most of the lead warships as Velocifighters began to pour from the ruined hulls.

"How long until you have your quantumspace?" Andros asked.

"Wormhole is forming, ten seconds," Trip assured him.

Andros switched pilot controls over to Deca and accessed the weapon systems. Of the twenty turrets that lined the hull of the Megaship twelve could fire unobstructed to the rear. As the six available on top swung around Andros got his first real look at the enemy fighters. There were already hundreds of them closing on their position. The warships they could have outrun, but fewer things in the known galaxy were faster than Zedd's Velocifighters. Andros opened fire as the lower six turrets came online. Velocifighters began detonation randomly as the turrets launched volley after volley into the incoming swarm, but for each one shot down there seemed to be three more to take its place.

"Five seconds, stay in tight formation," Trip relayed.

Andros felt the ship rock as a torrent of missiles pounded the shields of the ship. It was time to leave a little surprise for these drones.

"Deca, prep a mine, two second delay, high yield."

"Mine ready," Deca replied.

"Wormhole opened!" Trip announced.

A monstrous anomaly appeared in a flash of blue and purple light, tendrils of energy arced out into space like a giant octopus. In an instant the Time Shadow had crossed through the breech and Pyramidas followed closely behind it. Andros, still focused on the enemy, could see what must be nearly a thousand fighters following after them like a large cloud. They would definitely make it through the wormhole at this rate.

"Deploy,"

A large orb was set loose at the aft of the ship as it entered into the vortex. Several fighters overtook him and raced passed the Megaship determined to catch the leader. Andros' vision was a wash of bright swirling energy for a moment as he tried to focus the forward gun turrets on the lead fighters. From somewhere behind them a volley of shots fired into the wormhole as a bright flash consumed the rear view. Several of the shots impacted on the aft shields of his ship and the Mega-Wing the remaining shots racing passed them. Andros blasted the fighters that had gotten passed him moments before he exited the wormhole, their debris lost in the swirling vortex of quantumspace. Several more shots flew at them hitting the aft shields again.

"Shields at forty-two percent." Deca announced.

Andros watched as the wormhole closed, several fighters sliding through the opening just prior to its total collapse. Andros sighed in relief as the weapons locked on and blasted the remaining fighters to pieces.

"And that is the story of how I saved Trip and got us all safely to Earth," Zhane said raising his hands up in the air as if expecting applause.

"Right Zhane, it was all you." Trey said.

"You're not worried that the rest of the fleet will follow you?" Kimberly asked.

"It is possible," Andros said. "But with the fuel depot gone they will have to recharge off their own reactors while they make repairs, and even then it could take weeks to reach Earth. I'm sure after they make their report to Lord Zedd he'll probably execute them all for incompetence or do something horrible to them. So no, I'm not too worried."

"Makes it kind of easy when Zedd does our work for us," Zhane jested.

"I do not condone Zedd's actions even if it does help our cause. Any leader who would throw away the lives of his soldiers is not fit to lead in my opinion." Trey replied.

The cold red mechanical eyes stared out from behind the mask and out the front view port at the damaged fleet. The Commander of the thirty-seventh fleet folded his arms over his chest careful of the twin barreled guns on his arms. The armor on the upper body was black and gold, a deep crimson armor was visible at the joint where there was no plating. A breather was at the front of his armored head piece and flat antenna swept back and up from the sides of his head. A thick ornate golden shackle was attached around his neck, a red jewel sat where the keyhole should have been under his chin. Chains ran from the shackle to the black shoulder plates attaching to the golden trim. On his left side a sword similar to a rapier was sheathed. His lower body was comprised of the flexible crimson armor and multiple back straps with buckles that crisscrossed his legs. The right leg had a plate over his thigh that was split diagonally between silver and black and he wore an armored pair of black boots.

To say that he was distraught would be an understatement. Not only had he failed to capture The Lost, but he had allowed them to destroy the Fuel Depot. He knew the consequences for such a failure would surely be death, and had sent word that he would capture The Lost or end his own life in retribution for his failure. While he had no intention of following through with his boast he hoped it would buy him the time he needed to redeem himself and continue his existence.

His thoughts were disrupted as one of the Quantrons brought him a data slate. He casually took the translucent black tablet from the Quantron and activated it. Images began to appear in the black glass-like slate giving him a series of options. The first item listed was a communication from command. He opened the file. A picture filled the display showing a shadowy silhouette. This type of cowardice by Lord Zedd's high ranking officers always amused him. Even in communications with their own people they obscured their identities to protect against assassination. It was a valid concern as most rose to power by killing their superiors, but it amused him none the less.

The audio message began to play, "Your offer has been found acceptable by the High Command Commander Deviot. You will therefore move your fleet to Earth to join Lord Zedd's forces."

Deviot turned his gaze back out toward space and the battered warships before him. In the distance he saw the flashpoint as the refueling ship transitioned into the system. It had more than enough banks to recharge the fleet's hyperspace capacitors. Yet Deviot's mind was elsewhere; joining Lord Zedd himself was not what he had in mind.

"Who touched my stuff!?" Blue shouted.

"What are you going on about?" Red asked walking into the room.

"Someone touched my stuff!" Blue said. "One of my OMPSGs is missing, but more importantly this screwdriver," he held up the item in question shaking it in his hand. "Has been move two centimeters to the left!"

"Maybe it was that cat?" Black suggested.

"Hmmm," Blue pondered it for a moment.

"Doesn't anyone care that Pink is dead?" Yellow asked.

"Serves her right for running off on her own," Red replied. "If you want to run off too I'd be happy to standby and do nothing, just means more killing for me."

Yellow glared at Red for a moment, but Red only ignored her. Blue began to move toward the door, the screwdriver still clasped in his hand.

"Hey," Red began. "What about getting back to our plan?"

"This is more important," Blue said walking out the door.

"Blue where are you going?" Black asked.

"To find the person who moved my screwdriver and stab them in the head!" he yelled from down the hall as the doors began to close.

Blue stormed down the hall toward the lift. While he was still irate about the screwdriver Red had brought up the subject of the plan again. This was a dangerous subject because what he had given his fellow Psychos at the Air Force base was more an idea of how to get things into motion. He knew they didn't have the patience to handle his entire plan in one sitting, he wasn't even sure he had the patience to see it through, the real question was how much longer could he continue to string them along before they figured that out? Pink had already become fed up with his scheme and that was before they had laid the foundation for his masterwork. Now it would be up to him alone to fan the flames that had begun to grow and give the world leaders reason to doubt the Rangers while keeping the other Psycho's busy with trivial tasks to ensure they were pacified long enough for him to complete his own objectives. Of course General Hamren would probably do a lot of his work for him; it was just a matter of giving him the right information to run with.

"Dance puppets!" Blue said with a cackle as he entered the elevator.

"This had better be good," the warrior replied as he stepped forth from the shadows.

This bone white armor glistened in the torch light; the dark blue cape was draped over his soldier. His red eyes glowed in the ghoulish skull that was his head, rotted sinew still clinging to his jaw.

"I assure you Lord Rito you will not be disappointed." Diabolico said.

Rito followed the demon into another chamber. As he entered he could see a red haired woman lying on the floor of the chamber over a heptagram. Her mid section was covered in a black cloth and Rito could see the stitch marks where her limbs had been sown back on. Black candles encircled the icon but were not yet lit.

"A girl?" Rito asked in a half mocking tone. "This is your great discovery?"

"She is more than that," Diabolico replied as he knelt next to the corpse.

He pulled back the cloth around the stomach. Rito immediately caught sight of the black device imbedded in her upper abdomen and the burning pink orb that rested inside it.

"What is that?" He asked.

"It is a Morpher," Diabolico replied. "And one that far exceeds the power levels of those used by the Power Rangers."

"How did you come to possess this?" Rito asked his tone becoming agitated. "You were forbidden to leave the cavern."  
"I retrieved it," A voice said from the corner.

Rito looked up to see another Ranger emerge from the shadows, this one he recognized.

"You!" Rito said; his voice filled with hostility.

He went for his sword, the bone meshed sheath which held it, opened as he took hold of the hilt.

"Lord Rito, stop," Diabolico said stepping between them. "I apologize my Lord, allow me to introduce my Dark Ranger."

The Ranger stepped forward and removed his helmet. He was a young man with blonde spiked hair and dark eyes. He knelt on the floor before Rito.

"It will be an honor to serve you Lord Rito."

"And who are you?"

"My name is Ryan Mitchell," he replied looking up into the burning eyes of the warrior.

Things in the Command Center had once again returned to a state of normalcy. There were several conversations occurring in various groups as the Rangers were excited to learn about their new allies, and those who had joined them were very interested to hear about the events that had taken place since Zedd's arrival over a year ago. Zhane and Andros had also been a big help in bringing items up from the work bay on the lower level. Zhane had nearly destroyed one of the nightstands as he attempted to move it alone, but had managed to get it into the room after which he was more willing to accept help. Jason and Trey were in the process of getting the last bunk from the bay while Andros and Zhane were arriving in the elevator with the last nightstand for their room, the ladies room had been the first priority; it hadn't mattered in Billy's mind as there was plenty of furniture, but Zhane had been most insistent that they should take care of the ladies room first.

As Zhane and Andros entered into the sleeping quarters two streaks descended into the main chamber in a blaze of red and green. Trip stood alongside a Red Ranger; his armor similar to Trip's but with a jagged triangle on the chest facing downward which was mirrored on the helmet. Where Trip's armor was white or silver his was black with gold outlines. On his right side, in the holster hanging from his belt, was a strange firearm. The other Rangers rose and began to walk toward them as Trip removed his helmet.

The elevator opened and Jason and Trey stepped out carrying the last of the bunks. When they saw the new Ranger they placed it off to the side and came over.

"Andros, Zhane, get out here!" Ashley called. "Trip's back."

Andros was the first to emerge followed closely by Zhane.

"I would like to introduce the Quantum Ranger," Trip said as the warrior removed his helmet.

"Hey I know you," Ashley said.

"You're right," Kimberly said with a smile. "That's the guy we saw earlier."


	14. Chapter 14

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-14-

"This is Thomas Oliver, the new Quantum Ranger," Trip said.

"You can call me Tommy," he replied with a warm smile.

"Did you tell him about the alternate timeline?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, he did," Tommy replied. "I know I should know you all pretty well, but obviously things worked out differently. The strange thing is I actually feel like I belong here. When Trip approached me it was the first thing that's felt right in the last eight months."

"Well, welcome to the Power Rangers," Jason said extending his hand.

Tommy took hold of his hand with a firm grip and shook it. As Tommy let go the red energy from his morphed form dispersed into the Morpher on his wrist. The device was dissimilar from Trip's having a flat black surface with a red design work inside of which were a myriad of buttons. His clothes were ordinary, white shirt, blue jeans and black hiking boots. There was a moment of introductions as Tommy tried to burn everyone's name in his mind, but with this many people he was sure he'd forget a name or two and hoped he could cover it up.

"What did you mean by the new Quantum Ranger?" Billy asked as everyone took seats around the holo-display.

"Sorry," Trip said with a smile. "I suppose to you he'd just be the Quantum Ranger. Originally though a young man named Eric Myers found the Quantum Morpher. I'm certain he's still around, probably around your age too, but the Eric I knew was in the twenty-first century and was lost when the timeline reverted."

"I've been fuzzy on this whole thing," Adam said. "Why is it you arrived from a future that no longer exists?

"Because we were outside the timeline when the shift occurred," Trip said. "It's the same reason the Quantum Morpher and the Q-Rex arrived from our future into your timeline."

"Q-Rex?" Rocky looked at Trip confused.

"It's short for Quantasaurus Rex, it's his Zord. Though like I was saying, if you were to step out of a room for a moment and then detonate a bomb in the room an individual could reenter the destroyed room to find it completely different from when they left, they could no longer return to the point where the room was not destroyed, but they simply were unaffected because they were not present when the destruction occurred. What I find more interesting is that it is completely possible that Time Force will still arrive here in two thousand one when Ransik escapes into the past. That would prove or disprove a number of theories about alternate timelines."

"So couldn't others come to help us from the future?" Aisha asked.

"No," Trip replied. "Once the flow of this timeline caught up with my time it ceased to exist. If you divert a river into a new path the old path does not immediately run dry, but without the continued inflow the river eventually dries up. It's hard to explain without a lot of math, but in the grand scheme of a vast quantum continuum there is a sort of fifth dimension of time, a time that related to the quantum existence of all things and independent of the passage of time within a finite universe. In essence I exist because at the time in the quantum existence of this universe, in which time is also a factor, when the temporal distortion occurred my timeline existed. It ceased to exist when the distortion ended the flow of quantum energy into my present. So anything that occurred within the universe prior to that time still occurred, but due to the quantum shift has now ceased to be. The former timeline is still there in a way, much in the same way that a dry riverbed still existed, but ceases to be a river because no water is flowing into it, but that does not mean that water you may have previously removed from the river ceases to exist. That would be like filling a cup with water only to have the water in the cup vanish once the source of the water was turned off. Now this is all based on current Quantum theory, I could be completely wrong and other reasons exist that I am not aware of, but thus far this theory seems solid."

"Make it stop," Kimberly said leaning back looking at the ceiling.

"So if I understand you correctly then," Zhane began. "You have no real idea why it all worked out."

"I have an idea," Trip said ignoring his bad joke. "I just can't prove it."

"So Trip, what happened this morning when you freaked out and left." Kimberly asked desperate to turn the conversation to something less science based.

Trip looked over at Andros for a moment. "Do you mind if I talk to Andros for a moment first?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Jason said. "Tommy, give me a hand with the last bunk and then I'll give you a quick tour?" Jason suggested pointing to the bed sitting by the elevator.

"Sure man, no problem."

As Trip and Andros walked over to a corner by the Medical Bay to talk, Aisha, who was sitting behind Kimberly and Ashley, leaned forward between the two of them.

"Are things always that complex?" she asked.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Just be glad we only have two geniuses," she said. "I've never learned to speak Billy, and I'll probably never learn to speak Trip either."

"Billy's gotten better though," Ashley said in his defense.

"Really?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied. "He used to talk tech all the time. Now if you don't ask about anything technical you'll usually be fine."

Blue came onto the bridge of the Dark Fortress walking straight toward Astronema. Two Quantrons with crescent sabers stepped between him and her, but Blue tossed his screwdriver into the air and punched through both of their heads. Their bodies dropped to the floor as he caught his tool and stepped over their bodies.

"That's far enough," Astronema said holding up a small device.

Blue sighed knowing what was coming. Astronema pressed the button and Blue fell to the floor convulsing. The device was supposed to activate a regulator in their morphers that sent energy surging into their pain receptors; she obviously hadn't discovered that he had bypassed his. Instead the regulator had been patched into another device to alert him that the button had been pressed so he could play along if he was in the mood. After nearly half a minute of flailing randomly Astronema released the button. Blue was quick to return to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" Astronema asked staring into the reflective black of Blue's visor.

"Someone touched my screwdriver!" Blue said holding the tool in Astronema's face.

Ecliptor began to move in, but Astronema waved him off as she brushed Blue's arm out of her face.

"So what?" she replied. "You've taken half of my ship apart to build that workstation of yours."

"You were dead!" Blue replied defensively. "By the way you look much better now."

"You also have taken multiple things from the armory, including a crate of the disruption grenades we developed."

"Oh come on!" Blue said becoming more animated. "You make something that cool of course I'm going to borrow it, you borrow my stuff all the time, which is very rude by the way."

"And what do you call it when you take my stuff?" Astronema asked glaring at him.

"A necessary evil," Blue replied with a fanged grin.

"Getting information on what you've been up to is simply necessary."

"I haven't been doing anything…" Blue paused for a moment searching for the right word. "Disreputable."

"Of that I have no doubt," Astronema said folding her hands behind her back. "Still you have made an interesting breakthrough using the design for my OMP shield generator."

"I just made it smaller," Blue said. "I never understood why you made it so big."

Astronema couldn't tell if he was mocking her or being serious, neither would really have surprised her. Was it possible this creature didn't even realize his own genius? If that were the case it could be dangerous to allow him to work on anything else, especially if he had merely managed to micronize her design by some fluke.

"From now on you will submit all new design specs to me, in exchange you may have access to the equipment room, and if you need anything we do not have I will see to it that it is sent to you."

"Ahem…" Blue cleared his throat waving his screwdriver around.

Astronema sighed. "And I will make sure none of my personnel touch your screwdriver."

"And who touched it this time?"

"I don't know, one of the Quantrons most likely."

"Which one?" Blue asked staring intently at her.

Astronema sighed. She knew he wasn't going to be happy until he received an answer, but the truth was if he didn't know she certainly had no way of finding out.

"That one." She said pointing toward one of the guards near the door.

"Thank you," Blue said as he turned and walked away.

As he drew near the door his hand reached out suddenly plunging the screwdriver into the Quantron's head. There was a shower of sparks that burst from the cranial plate before the machine fell to the ground. Blue retracted the tool from its head as it fell only to find that the head had been blunted. Blue shook for a moment before falling on the Quantron throwing several punches into the head. Having destroyed the metal head case and scattered parts around the floor Blue rose to his feet huffing with a sense of accomplishment.

"Maybe that will teach you some respect for other people's stuff." He turned and walked off the bridge.

"The sooner we're done with those things the better," Ecliptor said directing several other Quantrons to clean up the mess.

"I'm more concerned that if we need them much longer we won't be able to dispose of them," Astronema replied staring at the closed door.

Lokar approached Lord Zedd's throne room. He was certain his Lord had yet to discover the arrival of The Lost, and was prepared to give his best performance to ensure his Lord was aware without losing his own head in the process. Putting his mind in order, burying the truth deep within his mind he stepped into the room.

Lord Zedd sat in his throne at the far end of the hall; his blazing eyes were cast upon Lokar as he entered the room. He could feel his Lord picking apart his mind for the information concerning his presence and Lokar was only too happy to allow such thoughts to be rooted out quickly.

"My Lord," Lokar began. "As I know you are aware The Lost have come to Earth and taken refuge in the Command Center. I have come to seek your counsel in flushing them out."

"There will be no need Lokar," Lord Zedd replied, he spoke audibly, the booming voice causing Lokar's body to shudder. "I have allowed them to gather within the Command Center so my Phantom Ranger can destroy them all."

"Excellent my Lord," Lokar replied. "When will we strike?"

"Soon," Zedd replied. "As I had foreseen Commander Deviot's loss in the Delgati system has played into my hands. With the arrival of the thirty-seventh fleet we will have more than replenished our ranks. At that time I will allow the Psycho Rangers to learn the location of the Command Center, your only task Lokar is to see that they don't learn of it before the time I have appointed."

"Yes my Lord," Lokar replied. "I will see to it at once." He turned and began to leave the throne room.

He could feel Lord Zedd continue to pick through his mind as he left. Exiting the room and shutting the door he felt the presence of Lord Zedd withdraw from his consciousness. So that was how Lord Zedd had continued to maintain appearances. Most of his minions were so terrified with his forceful telepathy that they never noticed he had already pulled the knowledge they had before he even addressed them. Lokar felt a sense of relief, perhaps his Lord was not as ill prepared for these matters as he feared, still his reach was still limited by those who served him, which made it all the more important that he and Astronema continue to be ever vigilant.

As he began to walk down the hall toward his laboratory he noticed Goldar pass through another passage way, his armor was slick with oil and hydraulic fluid and he walked with a slight limp. Curious, Lokar paused for a moment to be certain Goldar had gone before tracing his path back to the source. The droplets of oil made it easy to find the sparring room. Concealing his presence Lokar drifted into the room as no more than a mist.

The soot blackened walls of the room still gave off heat as Lokar noted the dying fire within the channel that ran around the perimeter of the room. The floor was littered with the burning embers of Putties and the sparking mess of Quantrons; he even noticed several of the newly modified Piranhatrons, what was more interesting were the traces of blood he found on the ground. His mist form gracefully slid over the floor licking up some of the blood. It wasn't Goldar's, someone else had been in here as well; the question was whom?

Lokar closed his eyes as he took in the energy and raw emotion that still hung heavy in the air. He could see the battle, Goldar at the center of a vast group of warriors spanning the room, and at the head of the two forces were Vexacus and Scorpina. Lokar watched the battle unfold in his mind's eye as Goldar became like a savage beast falling on all who approached him. He saw Vexacus step in as the golden warrior knocked the sword from his hand and slam his elbow into the mercenary sending him to the floor. Then Scorpina had come, but only after he had turned, he had also disarmed her, but had slashed her hand before sending her to the ground with an uppercut, blood dripped from her mouth. He had no further problem dispatching the waves of enemies that had descended upon him after that, reducing the room of minions to the chaotic mesh of carnage that now existed.

Lokar swept out of the room in a sudden gust. Goldar was training incredibly hard, the question now was why? Had Lord Zedd's rebuke merely hurt his pride, or was there more to it than that. He would have to keep a closer eye on him.

"It's not true, you're lying!" Andros shouted grabbing the collar on Trip's jacket and shaking him.

"I wish I was," Trip said calmly.

With the exception of Jason and Tommy who were in the other room, all eyes were on Andros. Zhane was already moving toward them.

"Andros calm down man," he started. "What's going on?"

"This guy doesn't know where Karone is, he's been lying the whole time." Andros said his face was crimson and he spoke through clenched teeth.

"Andros, buddy you need a break," Zhane said trying to get between them.

"I am tired of you telling me to relax," Andros said shoving Zhane back.

Zhane staggered for a moment, more shocked by Andros' actions than anything.

"I told you that you weren't going to like the answer," Trip said trying to remain calm. "I can't change the truth, but it is what it is."

"You're lying!" Andros repeated pushing Trip back against the wall. "It can't be true."

Zhane had sat on the sidelines long enough. Without warning he rushed Andros knocking his arms down causing him to lose his grip on Trip before taking hold of his jacket and slamming him back into the other wall. Andros' eyes opened wide in a mixture of shock and fury.

"What is wrong with you?!" Zhane shouted, his face only inches from his friend's.

"He's lying!" Andros shouted. "It can't be true!" then something broke within the Space Ranger and he began to slump. "It just can't be true,"

Zhane guided him down, his grip on his jacket loosening. Andros sat down on the floor with his back against the wall, drawing his knees up against his body and resting his forehead on his arms stared down between his knees.

"It just can't be true." He repeated quietly.

Zhane took a knee and placed a hand on Andros' shoulder as he sat there for a moment coming to grips with what Trip had told him. Trip straightened his jacket and walked back toward the group. Without saying a word he sat down in one of the chairs and leaned his head back closing his eyes as he let out a deep breath.

Slowly Ashley moved over and sat down next to Trip.

"What did you say to him," she whispered to him.

"I think it would be best to let him tell you when he's ready." Trip replied.

Ashley nodded. She looked over toward Zhane. He returned her look of concern with a reassuring smile and a subtle nod. Jason and Tommy were at the door, the shouting had gotten their attention in the other room. Seeing that things had calmed down Jason quietly guided Tommy toward the storage bay where they kept the food.

"Can we go somewhere else for a bit?" Shawna asked Adam. "Maybe outside?"

Adam nodded as he and his friends slipped out of the main chamber down the main hall to the exit. The cool evening air greeted them with a freshness that Adam's friends hadn't experienced in days. The sun still hung just above the horizon casting long shadows over the mountainous terrain.

"Things are a little tense right now, huh?" Aisha observed.

"Yeah," Adam said with a sigh. "I promise it's not always like this. It just seems like there is too much going on right now."

"Maybe it would be good if we went to stay with relatives for a while?" Aisha suggested.

"For a few days maybe?" Rocky added.

"I don't know about that," Shawna said. "I feel safer here than anywhere else, but if it will help calm things down I guess I would be willing to leave."

"I don't want to rush into anything right now," Adam said.

"You sure?" Aisha asked placing her hand on his upper back rubbing it gently. "We could just go for a few days until you catch those fake Rangers and things calm down a little?"

"Unless those freaks use us for bait," Rocky commented.

"That wouldn't happen," Aisha said sharply. She tried to be reassuring to Adam, "They don't even know who we are."

"We don't know that," Shawna said. "And we don't have powers to protect us."

"I'm not going to send you out there with no way to defend yourselves." Adam said. "Zedd has been willing to hurt our friends and family to get to us, I'm not going to send you out there to be used like that."

Aisha sighed. "Maybe we could just work at staying out of the way for a few days then, stay out of the main chamber as much as possible?"

"I like that idea better," Shawna said.

"I guess we can try that," Adam replied.

"I just wish there was more we could do to help out," Rocky said looking out over the mountains. "I just feel so useless sometimes."

"I'm sure as time goes on the others will find ways for you to help out," Adam said. "It's just a rough transition right now, things were so quiet for nearly a year and then everything falls apart in less than two weeks. It's been hard on everyone."

Blue walked back into the makeshift home that he and the other Psychos had created in the bowels of the ship. The door slid closed behind him, whining as metal scraped against metal. Red was the first to greet him.

"So can we get to work now?" Red asked; his single minded focus still honed on carrying out the plan.

"I suppose." Blue replied wishing he could roll his eyes while morphed.

"So what's the next step?" Black asked.

"It's simple," Blue said. "Now that we've caused the world to see the Rangers as traitors we spread out into new cities and draw attention to ourselves, the Rangers will come incognito to locate us and then we can begin to pick them off."

"Incog what?" Yellow asked.

"It means they'll come in disguise, probably unmorphed so as not to draw attention," Blue said.

"So what do we need to do to get the Rangers attention?" Red asked.

"We just need to go out and terrorize the masses, either disguised as them or in," Blue shuddered for a moment. "Human form."

"Gross," Yellow replied. "How about we just do more stuff disguised as them?"

"Do what you want," Blue said as he checked over some of the displays on his workstation. "I need to take care of something important right now,"

"What could be more important?" Red asked.

"Something you couldn't possibly comprehend," Blue said hitting a few buttons. "Just split up, cause mayhem and wait, the Rangers will show."

With that Blue gathered up several small boxes from his workstation and disappeared in a blaze of dark blue energy.

"Alright," Red said with a fiendish grin. "Let's get to work."

Ashley stepped out of the Command Center to where Adam and his friends were standing around talking casually. She forced a grin which told Adam things were still a little tense inside.

"Trip is ready to explain what happened this morning." She said.

"Alright, I'm coming," Adam said. "Guys?"

"I think I'll just stay out here for awhile," Aisha said sitting down on the edge of the stone slab that made up the walkway, her legs hanging over the edge as she stared at the sunset.

"I think it would be best if we waited outside for now," Rocky agreed. "If you think it's important you can fill us in later."

"I'm kinda curious personally," Shawna said before Aisha threw her a reminding glance. "But I can wait until later."

Ashley turned back toward the Command Center as Adam followed closely behind her.

"What was all that about?" Ashley asked as the two walked inside.

"They're just trying to stay out of the way, not add anything to the tension."

"It has gotten pretty bad hasn't it?" Ashley replied. "I'm worried about Andros; he seems to be having the hardest time out of everyone."

"It's like when Josh was so distant. I think he just needs time to sort out whatever is troubling him." Adam said.

The two walked on in silence as they entered the main chamber where everyone was waiting. Tommy and Jason had already taken seats next to Kimberly. Billy was sitting in the second row behind Jason. Andros was standing in the back along with Zhane. Trip was standing in front of the holo-display, Circuit was perched on the rim of the display. Adam was puzzled for a minute, had he come back with Trip and Tommy originally? He supposed it didn't really matter.

"Are the others not coming?" Kimberly asked.

"No, they're just going to stay outside for a little bit," Adam said. "They haven't gotten to enjoy the fresh air much in the last week; it'll be good for them."

Adam sat down on Kimberly's left at the end of the row. Ashley wandered back to where Andros and Zhane were standing.

"Come join us," she said looking softly into his eyes.

Andros shook his head slowly keeping only loose eye contact.

"I think he's still going to need sometime, he's dealing with some pretty heavy stuff," Zhane said apparently privy to what Trip had told him.

Ashley nodded and took a seat in the second row next to Billy leaving a spot on her left incase Andros changed his mind.

Trip cleared his throat and began, "What I'm going to tell you will seem strange. I'm not sure I understand it all, but this is what happened this morning. I am a telepath, all my people are. This morning a powerful entity, or rather two powerful entities contacted me. Their power was immense and the nature of their contact was so intense that my body went into shock and for an instant I was technically dead. What I saw was a large dragon, long and serpent-like with six pairs of wings, two on its back and the others attached near the arms and legs, or possibly to the arms and legs. Behind it was a large fiery phoenix, wings spread wide, that burned a brilliant white so intense that the dragon's features were lost in the brilliance and all I saw was a silhouette. Then I could hear a voice speaking, a roaring like thunder one minute and gentle as the wind the next, he gave me the coordinates to the Delgati system and told me about Trey, Andros, and Zhane and about Andros' sister Karone. He also spoke of Tommy and his location, that he had been spared from the destruction of Angel Grove for a purpose and told me where I could find him and commanded me to give him the Quantum Morpher. Then the light faded and I felt my body collapse, I knew I had died, but then a sweet voice came like fire over me and I felt its warmth fill me and felt my body strengthen. That's when I woke up in the Medical Bay with this pressing sense of urgency on me; it was like my survival depended on my immediate departure." Trip was shaking as he relayed his story as the memories of his experience flooded back to the forefront of his mind. "You know the rest," he said with a heavy breath taking a seat.

"It sounds to me like what you're describing is the Dragon and the Phoenix that we keep hearing about," Jason said.

"It does appear they may be more than an abstract concept," Billy replied. "If the Masters were also some form of telepaths perhaps they saw these beings this way as well."

"You're still skeptical?" Kimberly asked turning around to face him.

"I'm just saying maybe they appear more fearsome than they are," Billy said. "Like the Wizard of Oz."

"You're comparing the source of all our power to a movie?" Kimberly asked.

"I just mean that we can't be sure they really have an actual form just because someone perceives it that way, I am fairly convinced that whatever this power is it has a consciousness."

"This is weird to hear," Tommy said. "I don't exactly know what you're talking about with these creatures, but the weekend before the attack on Angel Grove I had this deep need to get away for the city from the weekend. So I went up to my Uncle's Cabin, it's a quiet place and always helps me to clear my head. Then, when school was cancelled the next day I stayed up there. When I heard on the radio that Angel Grove was destroyed I knew I had nowhere else to go so I stayed there until Trip came. The funny thing was, I didn't go up there because I was afraid of the city being attacked or anything, I just felt like I needed to go somewhere quiet and peaceful."

"What I don't understand is why, if these beings are so powerful, why they didn't prevent the destruction of Angel Grove," Kimberly said. "If we had known that Zedd was going to use Serpentera we could have done something in advance."

Jason put a hand on Kimberly's shoulder as she began to cry. "I don't think it would have been that easy Kim," he said trying to be reassuring. "If Trip's right and this timeline was never suppose to occur then maybe that means somehow we can put things right and none of this will ever have happened."

"I hope so," Kimberly said with a sniff.

"It's not our fault or theirs," Jason said calmly. "The only one who is responsible for all this is Zedd and we bring him to justice, not just for Earth, but all the worlds and all the lives he's destroyed."

"So where do we start?" Adam asked.

"We start by finding those imposters and eliminating them." Jason said. "Then I say we take this fight to the source, all the way to Zedd himself."

"It may not be that simple," Trey said.

"I doubt it will be," Jason acknowledged. "But we need a direction. We've been on the defensive for too long, tomorrow morning we go on offense."

There was a strong sentiment of agreement among the other Rangers.

"Alright," Trey said. "Then let's figure out our opening move."

"Magnificent," Trakeena said as she walked through the massive egg chamber of their Asian expansion.

The young warriors had rapidly multiplied through the use Lokar's concoction resulting in a population explosion that far exceeded what she thought possible. If the European, African, and Australian expansions were going as well they would soon have enough stock to begin another colony in South America.

Beside her was Treacheron, like Furio his armor was chitin plate, though different in style. His face was also less humanoid in appearance with large mandibles tucked into the jaw line of his mock human features; small feelers were tucked against his forehead. His body was made of a mesh of deep blue plates interspersed with white. The plating on his legs was flared out into a false outer shell making his lower body appear much larger and providing an extra measure of protection. Twin claws were tucked into his chest, the carapace of the claws appearing as little more than thicker plating on the sides of his chest, a perfect stealth weapon. Locked into a sheath of plating at his side was a long curved sword. Its sheath keeping it drenched in a potent neurotoxin which filled the micro pours of the chitin blade.

"I thank you my Lady, it is a pleasure to serve you." Treacheron replied with a slight bow.

"Do our other colonies fair this well?"

"Furio has sent word that the European expansion has grown well. He is currently checking on our African expansion."

"And what of the Australian colony?"

"I regret to say that progress has been hampered, but is now moving forward."

"And the reason for this?"

"It seems a small town discovered our colony and tried to destroy it. While they ultimately failed, several tunnels were destroyed and many eggs were burned before our warriors could eradicate the human menace. Tunnels also had to be covered over and sealed to prevent the possibility of any survivors finding them again."

"I would like you to go there personally and see that the colony gets back on track, our timetable can not afford any substantial problems."

"I assure you my Lady I will see that the colony thrives."

"I know you will," Trakeena replied. "I look forward to seeing your results."

With another bow Treacheron departed preparing to make his way to the Australian colony. Trakeena turned away preparing to return to the North American Hive. She had much to do herself. Expansion had been going well there, but the short supply of food was rapidly becoming an issue. Both plant life and animal life were becoming scarcer. Several quiet towns had been devoured, but with the rate the colony was growing they would soon require a much larger food source to feed her army. They had also encountered problems crossing the fault line in their eastward expansion. The ultimate solution had been to create a flexible brace for the hundreds of miles of tunnels that laced through the area, but this again was slow due to the lack of food. Perhaps in this regard Lokar might have something to assist her, after all it was all for The Empire. She smiled at the thought; it was certainly all for someone's empire.

Blue was on the roof of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In the low light of dusk he would have been nearly invisible anyway, but he thought it best not to take any chances. Cloaked from sight Blue phased his body through the building, slipping down to the main communications node for the building. Returning to a normal state Blue removed the first black box from his belt and phased it into the relay system before him; the integration of his device becoming a permanent and untraceable part of the system. He continued around the room installing several more devices into various hubs within the room. Satisfied with his work he walked out the side of the building. There was only one more thing he needed to take care of.

The Rangers were eating in shifts. The makeshift kitchen and dinning area was simply too small to accommodate the large number of people they now had, it had been too small before Trip had brought the others. Billy had tried to figure out a simple solution to allow everyone to fit, but Jason had decided that there were far too many important matters that needed to be dealt with. Most of the guys had eaten first and were now working on that night's project. It was decided that after dinner the guys would at least get the lady's bathroom functional, leaving them the existing one to share. Trey had originally objected, but when he understood the matter as an issue of group moral he couldn't argue with the need to finish it quickly.

During this time they planned to discuss the matter of these new Rangers and what they could do to find them. Billy was certain that finding them would not be a problem; they seemed to want to be found. The real question that concerned him was what to do once they found them.

"I think we should start sleeping in shifts," Billy said as he finished welding a junction to the waterline.

"For what reason?" Jason asked attaching a showerhead to the top of the piping assembly.

The showers were little more than two metal rings with a curtain suspended between them over a section of raised circular stone with a drain at the base. A small set of metal shelves hanging down near the showerheads for personal items.

"I'm certain that these imposters want us to find them, they certainly have gone out of their way to call attention to themselves in the past." Billy began.

"I agree," Jason replied.

"The problem is that they have a way to jam our equipment that I haven't been able to counteract. So it may be profitable to have someone on watch to monitor the News for any recent developments."

"Andros and I should be able to do that," Zhane said securing another towel rack to the wall.

"Do what?" Andros asked as he came in holding a giant wall mounted mirror.

"Sleep part of the day to keep watch at night." Zhane said.

"We could do that," Andros agreed. "We've been out in space for so long that we have no real pattern to our sleep, we simply get it when we can."

"Having a night watch would be a good idea," Tommy said.

"It might be more helpful if we split into two teams though," Jason said. "Our greatest problem has been dealing with Zedd's constant bombardments. If we had two teams we could insure that one team was always available to deal with any threat immediately and the others could still rest."

"I like that idea in theory," Billy said. "But it is also likely that with Zedd knowing about our increased manpower he will also increase his attacks to compensate. Our forces are minimal compared to his; if he is determined to tire us out there is little we can do without ignoring an attack."

"Still it would be wise," Trey replied. "We lose nothing if we sleep in shifts, should something arise too big for one team to handle the other can join in. If we remain a single team we run the risk of the same thing occurring, but now have a time of inactivity where things may slip passed the Command Center's system's notice that a real person might catch."

"That is true," Bill admitted. "We need to divide the Zord power evenly or as evenly as possible between the two teams however. But anyway we do it will result in a shortage of Rangers for a team. Not to mention that if any of our five are in the other team we lose the ability to form the Mega Zord."

"How long until the Dragon Zord is rebuilt?" Jason asked.

"Few days maybe," Billy said. "But without Josh, or more specifically the Power Coin it won't have the power it previously possessed."

"That can be fixed," Circuit offered.

The owl had been perched on the metal rim of one of the showers listening to the conversation.

"How?" Billy asked surprised to hear Circuit speak without being directly spoken to.

"With a Trizirium Crystal, it's what scientists in our era used to power the Q-Rex. The yellow crystals were the first to be developed and are the easiest to manufacture. Later the blue crystals were developed which have a much more stable energy matrix, but are not as easy to manufacture."

"Is it possible to manufacture one with the Command Center's systems?" Billy asked.

"It would be safer to manufacture the equipment and components and assemble one manually," Circuit replied. "Zirium powder is easy enough to assemble using your Molecular Assembler; it's the process of converting that into Trizirium that is the issue."

"How long would it take to create a blue crystal then?" Billy asked.

"A week, maybe slightly less after the components are ready."

"How long for a yellow one?" Jason asked.

"A few days, but here in lies the problem," Circuit said cautiously. "The blue and yellow crystals resonate at different frequencies when in use. When those two frequencies combine it forms a resonant frequency with the very fabric of temporal reality."

"Meaning?" Zhane asked.

"That time is literally torn open," Trip said coming into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. He had apparently overheard at least part of the conversation. "Which is why Trizirium is used in limited quantities, and then mostly with Time Force equipment. We currently have three blue Trizirium Crystals in the present, one powers the Time Shadow, one powers the Q-Rex, and one powers Circuit."

"So if we manufacture a crystal to power one of our Zords it has to be blue," Billy said.

"Yes," Trip said adamantly. "If you require it for a power source, then you would want a blue crystal. Making a yellow one would be inviting destruction on your world."

"Then can you begin the process Circuit?" Billy asked. "We need the Dragon Zord as soon as possible."

"Alright,"

Circuit lifted from his perch and flew to the base of the door and landed. As the door acknowledged his presence and opened he sprung from the floor taking flight once again to reach the main console.

"So what can I do to help?" Trip asked.

"You can begin attaching those poles to the floor over by the door," Billy said pointing toward a section of black steel poles and thick plates of black steel, the centers of which were filled with an amber colored substance that was virtually opaque. "The anchor plates have already been installed, you just need to bolt them in and bolt the screen plates between them."

"Here I'll help you with those," Zhane said as he finished attaching the last towel rack.

"So back to dividing into two teams." Jason said. "We have one War Zord, three ships, the Q-Rex,"

"Technically our ships are both Mega Zords," Zhane interrupted.

"And so is the Time Shadow," Trip said moving on to his second pole. "And really the Q-Rex is as well."

"So we have one War Zord, and five Mega Zords." Jason said.

"That is true," Billy said. "But you have to remember that with the Dragon Zord and Titanus we can turn our Mega Zord into a War Zord."

"Right," Jason said. "But with the Dragon Zord you, Adam, and Ashley can form the Mega Dragon Zord."

"When the Dragon Zord is ready, which will take about a week I'm guessing." Billy reminded.

"Is there anyway to power it off another Power Coin?" Jason asked.

"I could make a few small modifications to allow it to run off other Power Coins," Billy said. "Were you planning on using it?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "It should probably be configured for Kimberly as well, but I'm not sure how'd she feel about it."

"Let me go enter the modifications into the computer real quick," Billy said getting up. "I can just adjust it to accept energy from any of our Morphers." He disappeared out the door.

"Who was Josh?" Andros asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"Is it a touchy subject?" Andros said half apologetic.

"To some more than others," Jason said. "Joshua Raine was our sixth, he was the Green Ranger. He died about a week ago destroying Serpentera before it had a chance to wipe out Earth."

"I'm sorry," Andros replied. "I know how tough it is to lose someone like that."

"Thanks," Jason said.

"When you say Joshua Raine do you mean The Joshua Raine?" Tommy asked.

"The Martial Arts Champion, yes." Jason replied.

"I wish I had had the chance to meet him," Tommy said. "What was he like?"

"A little bit of a loner, a little distant at times, but you could always count on him." Jason replied. "He held Cyclopsis off, one of Zedd's other War Zords, and even after that with his Zord nearly out of power he raced off to stop Serpentera without a moment of hesitation."

"Wow," Andros replied. "Sounds like a brave guy."

"He was," Jason paused. "Is,"

"I know I'm new to all this," Tommy said. "But what is the difference between a Zord, Mega Zord, War Zord etcetera?"

"Power output," Andros replied as Billy walked back into the room. "War Zords tend toward being bigger because of the space needed to generate more power."

"One rare exception is Cyclopsis," Billy said. "It draws power from an outside source. As a result it has a power output like a War Zord, but is much smaller."

"You get the modifications made?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Billy replied beginning to attach another pipe to the waterline. "Have we made any progress on setting teams yet?"

"Not since you left," Trey said.

"I think the best solution would be for Kimberly and I to join with Trey and Zhane, or Trip if we don't want to split up the Space Rangers."

"We do work better together," Andros said. "But if you take Zhane you'll have our sixth Ranger, which means you'll be a stronger team."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to move Kimberly to the team with Trey, Zhane, and Tommy so you can still pilot the Dragon Zord?" Billy asked.

"Tactically it makes perfect sense," Jason said. "But you know Kim's been under a lot of stress, I don't want to place her in a group when she doesn't know anyone. Personally, I'd rather place the burden on myself to be part of the other team if Zords become necessary before we have that crystal ready."

"Fair enough," Billy replied.

"How about we make team one consist of myself, Tommy, Trey, Trip, and Kimberly?" Jason suggested. "Team two can be Andros, Zhane, Billy, Ashley, and Adam."

"That does leave team one heavier on Zord strength," Billy replied.

"I agree," Trey said. "Pyramidas is easily equal to two Zords."

"So we need to trade either Tommy or Trip over to team two," Jason said.

"Tommy is definitely a stronger fighter than I am, I know that from my history." Trip said. "But consider, if you move me over that leaves all our telepaths on a single team."

"Or you could trade Zhane for Tommy and Trip," Andros offered.

"Thanks a lot," Zhane replied. "But he's right; that gives more Zord power to team two and leaves you with a telepath."

"Then we should try that out first and see how it works," Jason said.

"Now we just have to decide how to break up these shifts." Billy said. "Zedd's attacks have been evenly spread through the day and night. If we assume sixteen hour shifts per team that gives us eight hours of overlap."

"We should divide that into two four hour blocks," Jason said. "Two of the attacks were very early morning and late at night."

"Though the biggest one was around midday," Billy said. "But, of course, there is no way to predict when attacks like that will occur."

"Well I propose that we run one shift from eight in the morning until midnight and the other from eight in the evening until noon." Jason said.

"Sounds good to me," Billy said.

"We should discuss the matter with the rest of the team though," Trey replied. "And someone will have to volunteer to forgo sleeping tonight."

"That is true," Jason replied. "Let's try and get this done before everyone finishes dinner and then we can discuss it."

General Hamren was sitting quietly at his desk going over the few reports they had managed to salvage from the wreckage of Mitchel Air Force Base. There was very little footage left from the security tapes. The material was interesting, but was so garbled that it was impossible to prove anything definitive. Still it showed the Rangers gun down a group of soldiers in the armory, but with the distortion it was impossible to tell from which Ranger the shots were coming from. He also had a few notes from Doctor Kauffman's office, but other than interesting notes that postulated the Rangers were possibly suffering from PTSD and a refusal of compliance to meet for therapy from the Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, nothing had survived. He had wished that he had gotten a copy of his call with General Lawler before he left; he would have to check with Captain Mitchell at the LSR facility to get a copy sent over. Before he forgot he buzzed his assistant and made the request.

The question he now had before him was how to use the information he presently had to make a case against the Rangers. There wasn't enough material here to get them locked away for war crimes, but if he could secure an order to have them brought in for questioning they would almost certainly refuse which would only help his case. What he really needed was a listing of all communications that had been sent to the UN from the Ranger's Command Center. However, such documents were restricted, and while he could cut through the red tape it would take time. He sighed and pressed the intercom button again.

"Yes Sir?"

"I need you to send a request for information to the UN requesting the documents sent by the Power Rangers and all reports that have been filed on Power Ranger activity from June Nineteen Ninety-Three until the present. And I need any files we have on the Power Rangers."

"That's just spooky,"

"Excuse me?"

"A Lieutenant Colonel Vanders just arrived with the files from the UN,"

"Send him in,"

"Yes Sir."

General Hamren rose from his desk as the door opened and a tall officer entered the room, his form looked a little scrawny for a soldier and a little young to be an officer. His hair was cut in a spiked flattop and his eyes were a piercing deep blue. He saluted as he entered the room maintaining eye contact with the General. Hamren reached out to shake his hand, his gesture was quickly reciprocated by the officer. The Lieutenant Colonel had an exceptionally strong grip for his size; that was impressive.

"I understand you have some files for me?"

"Yes Sir," Vanders replied. "I heard about the incident at Mitchel, terrible tragedy. I've been researching the Power Rangers for sometime," he held the thick file out for the General, Hamren took it and began to browse the contents. "When I heard you were investigating the latest incident I gathered up all my files and headed over immediately." The General nodded as if he had located something interesting. "What you have is all the files and reports on the Power Rangers from the UN, FBI, CIA, and the Pentagon. Everything up to the incident with the mysterious craft that was rescued from Zedd's forces the other day."

"This is outstanding," Hamren replied.

"Thank you," Vanders replied. "I've always thought these children were unfit to have the powers they do, but as a Lieutenant Colonel I've had a hard time getting others to listen, I figured this information will be better served in the hands of someone more capable and higher ranking."

"That it will," Hamren said. "I believe you might have enough here for me to accomplish what we both want to see."

"I'm pleased to hear it, thank you for your time General," Vanders replied saluting.

General Hamren closed the file for a moment and returned the Lieutenant Colonel's salute. Vanders turned and left the office leaving the General to his work. Winding down the halls that made up the buildings interior Vanders exited the building and returned to a black sedan parked out front. He paused at the front gate showing his ID and signing out before driving down the road; almost done.

"So we're all in agreement?" Jason asked having discussed the proposed plan with the others.

"Yeah, it sounds like a good idea," Kimberly said.

"It sounds like it'll help us all stay better rested and more prepared no matter when Zedd launches his attacks." Adam agreed.

Rocky raised his hand. Jason smiled suppressing a laugh.

"Yes, Rocky?"

"Do you want us to split up as well so one of us can work at the computer systems during the day, maybe divide us up into eight hour shifts?"

Jason glanced over at Billy for a moment. "I believe for the time we are going to leave the running of the systems to Beta and Circuit."

"We may even upgrade our system using Deca and Ivann designs to make the system more autonomous. It would be nice if our systems could teleport us out in the event of a life threatening emergency or scan for weaknesses in the enemy and then relay that information directly to our armor."

"We don't mean to be so pushy about this," Aisha said. "We just feel a little useless around her."

"We have plenty of renovations to still make," Billy said. "You're more than welcome to help with that, especially with the sleeping quarters since we have a limited time each day that work can be done in those when everyone is awake."

"Which does bring up another point," Jason said. "During the time a single team is on you will be expected to take care of personal matters as quickly as possible, preferably during the hours when both teams are active. During your shifts there will be work to do, which Billy and I will try and coordinate. These construction projects come after your Ranger duties however."

"We are almost done with the ladies' bathroom, there are only a few minor things to finish in order to make it functional, then we need to get the guys' bathroom done, and we need to do something about the kitchen and dining area."

"I think we should get a large table for the main chamber and just turn that room into a kitchen," Ashley said. "Then we could divide up kitchen duty between teams."

"I like that idea," Jason said. "Any objections?"

There was a silence among the other Rangers as they glanced around.

"Alright, we will begin working on that after the bathrooms are done." Jason said. "Now with those minor downtime issues decided, it is currently eight twenty-two, we need to decide which team is taking the night shift. Now Andros and Zhane have expressed that night or day has little meaning to them."

"I feel the same," Trey replied.

"Kim?" Jason asked.

"I might doze on and off the first few nights, but that's fine if you want to do it Jason," she replied.

"Then it's settled," Jason said. "Team one will take the night shift and team two will take the day shift; alarms will be set to go off at eight pm and eight am. We also don't plan to be rigid on when you go to sleep, if nothing's going on there's no reason not to get some extra rest because there will come a day when we find ourselves in short supply." Jason suddenly became more solemn in his expression. "We have one more thing to discuss," he said, his tone becoming serious. "We have four imposters running loose killing randomly, we need to deal with this immediately before more people get hurt."

"Now, one may be dead," Billy said. "And it's possible that these doppelgangers are really only interested in their opposites. From Kimberly's account it seemed that the pink one was interested in killing her alone. From their previous actions I think it's safe to conclude that they enjoy killing in general, but their focus in all the other killings seems to be to get to their Ranger counterparts."

"And which colors would those be?" Andros asked.

"Assuming the pink one is really dead, they would still have red, blue, yellow, and black." Billy replied.

"Do you think they are attracted to each of you as individuals or merely as color scheme?" Trey asked.

"Logic would dictate that they were made to combat each of us specifically as none of you were present at the time they were deployed. However, as Trey has pointed out before there isn't necessarily a method to their madness, so it's equally probable that they are interested in any Ranger that shares their color."

"That would leave Trip, Zhane, and Trey as unwanted to them then." Adam said.

"Unless they have some arbitrary way of dealing with encounters like these," Billy suggested. "In the mental state they seem to be in I think it is just as likely that the black one would see Trey as a target, maybe even Trip and Zhane since their uniforms have black in them. Of course Trey and Zhane might also be targeted by the yellow one since they wear gold."

"I have all five colors," Andros said. "By that logic they may all see me as a potential target."

"It's tough when everyone likes you," Zhane teased.

"It's entirely possible," Billy said. "We don't have enough information on our enemy and since they can jam our equipment we have no choice but to watch the news to try and locate them."

"Have you been able to figure out what that device we found does?" Jason asked.

"It's a jamming device of some kind," Billy said. "But it's too damaged for me to figure out exactly how they're jamming us. Which is something everyone needs to be aware of, they can jam our communications and teleportation, so it is very important not to split up when facing these things because you will be unable to call for assistance."

"Do we have a plan for dealing with them?" Adam asked.

"Gather data," Billy said. "We don't know enough to effectively deal with them, any News reports that may be related need to be stored for analysis. Other than that anytime they make a move we need to stop them, after more encounters we should gain a better understanding of what we're up against."

"How do you know they'll make a move?" Ashley asked.

"It's pretty clear they want us to find them," Billy said. "Their actions are too overt to go unnoticed, the rash of killings spread out too far for a person or persons to accomplish, the theatrics at the Trade Center. They'll make a move soon if they haven't already."

Vanders' car pulled into a parking structure near the UN Headquarters in New York. As Vanders turned off the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle, a figure in a black ski mask approached him.

"Where are those files you took?" demanded the masked figure.

"You're too late," Vanders replied tensing up in preparation for conflict. "General Hamren is already in possession of the files."

"We're going back right now and getting them," the man said.

"I don't think so,"

Suddenly the masked man pulled a gun on the Lieutenant Colonel. With his quick reflexes Vanders was able to knock the assailant's arm aside and stuck him in the gut. The man cringed. Then, taking hold of Vanders' shoulder with his free hand, he pulled him forward and thrust his knee into Vanders' chest.

Vanders gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him. In a moment of panic he went for the man's fire arm. The man pulled back as he and Vanders grappled with the weapon. There was a loud crack as the gun discharged. A moment of silence followed as both men were frozen.

Then Vanders slumped over collapsing to the ground, blood splattered over the man's glove and weapon. A look of horror filled his eyes as he gazed down at the body on the ground. In a moment of panic he looked around making sure no one was watching before leaving the scene.

The man exited the back of the parking structure, as he passed by the street he cautiously released the magazine from the hand gun and tossed it down a storm drain before turning down an alleyway. Passing by a dumpster he tossed the weapon in along with his gloves and ski mask. He was an elderly looking man, clean cut with gray hair and strong facial features.

Then his face began to bubble and melt. A hand reached up tearing away a chunk of flesh as a black visor and blue crest became visible. Blue thought it was unfortunate for the Secretary of Defense that he had no alibi for the night. After all, he was the Power Rangers biggest supporter, probably the only one who could stop the General now, and had just accidentally shot the man responsible for giving General Hamren some rather incriminating evidence against both his department and the Rangers. It was also too bad that he would not have the opportunity to perform an autopsy on Lieutenant Vanders; he was curious how well his little genetic abomination resembled an actual human on the inside. It was unfortunate that he could not be relied on to have also delivered the information to the General; that had cost him some time switching things around. At least he was able to kill him for the inconvenience. Shedding the last of his false skin Blue vanished in a streak of dark light, it was time to meet up with the others.

Ashley was sitting along with Kimberly and Adam's friends watching the news looking for any signs of the imposters. Most of the news was the standard debate about the threat of Lord Zedd and if the military was really doing all it could to prepare. Various outspoken individuals also were calling for the Power Ranger's technology to be incorporated into existing military equipment. Flipping to another channel she catalogued a strange report about a viral outbreak in New York. Apparently the viral strain was unidentified and was rather potent, seven people were already dead, many more were in critical condition and there was talk of quarantine. The report concluded and Ashley was about to change stations when the title of next report caught her eye 'Rangers Gone Psycho?'

"Rangers gone psycho?" she repeated aloud.

"Have the Power Rangers snapped?" the man began.

"Guys get in here!" Kimberly shouted.

The other Rangers began filing into the room as the report continued.

"Earlier today five individuals who appeared to be the Power Rangers hijacked a bus in New York City teleporting the vehicle to the top of the World Trade Center along with the twenty-six people onboard." The camera angle shifted to show an angle looking up toward the Trade Center from the plaza below. "Shortly after this bizarre hijacking these five individuals began hurling their hostages from the top of the building before blowing up the bus apparently killing everyone inside." There was a moment of silence as the footage from the news helicopter of the Blue Ranger pitching a child over the edge of the building was replayed. "Horrific footage," the reporter said as the view shifted back to the newsroom. "Now the military arrived shortly after this incident and we received word that the Power Rangers were taken into custody for questioning, no word yet on the status of the Rangers." He turned to his co-anchor, a dark haired woman.

"In other news," she began. "Mitchel Air Force Base, which was recommissioned last year to help with the US' new tactical response plan for the eastern seaboard, was destroyed today."

"What?" Jason responded in shock.

"Local officials report that the blaze, which was called in by citizens, is now contained. There is no comment yet if this incident is related to the Power Rangers. At present rescue efforts continue, but no survivors have been found, we'll have more on this story at eleven."

"They destroyed the base," Billy said in dismay.

"But why?" Jason asked. "We weren't there anymore. Wouldn't we have looked more guilty if some of the people had survived as witnesses? Why did they destroy the base?"

"You error in thinking that they gained less through total destruction," Trey replied. "This enemy appears to be chaotic in thought and action. With the entire base destroyed, and any records eliminated it leaves a void of uncertainty."

"You're right," Billy agreed. "With everyone dead there are missing pieces which can be filled in anyway that seems logical."

"But why?" Ashley asked.

"Because they never intended for anyone to believe that we have completely snapped," Billy said. "At least not anyone in the government. They've set up a situation that makes us look guilty of whatever fears world leaders have had. They're preying on the paranoia that has existed since the Green Ranger's attacks and Lord Zedd's arrival."

"So you're suggesting that people are going to fill in the missing pieces with whatever they are afraid we might do?" Jason asked.

"Exactly," Billy replied. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. Everything else that happened was just a means to an end." Billy sat down for a moment collecting his thoughts.

"So how do we fight this?" Kimberly asked.

"I already sent our report to the UN, but we need evidence to support our claim if we really want to clear ourselves from suspicion." Billy said.

"And where do we get that?" Adam asked.

"The obvious place would be where ever the fakes reside." Trey replied.

"True," Billy said. "But we can't track them, and the odds are good that they're located either in the Lunar Palace or the Dark Fortress."

"Then our only other option is to capture one," Jason said. "If they make a move we go after them with everyone."

Trakeena cautiously approached Lokar's laboratory and banged the knocker down three times before stepping back.

"Enter," Lokar's voice called from within the foreboding room.

With some trepidation Trakeena pushed open the door and entered into Lokar's chamber. The ethereal glow of arcanery still chilled her, but she forced herself to proceed deeper into the room. Lokar turned to face her, a grin forming on his face that looked more malicious than inviting.

"Ah, Trakeena, what can I do for you today?" Lokar asked as several bolts leapt from his quills to his cloak.

"I came to report that the hive is developing well, nearly too well, we face a food shortage if we do not begin to devour larger populated areas."

"I can see where that revelation would be problematic," Lokar replied casually.

"I was wondering if there was anything you could do to provide my army with food until we can finally surface?"

"There is,"

Trakeena was unsure of what to make of his tone. "Would you be willing to help with my problem?"

"Perhaps," Lokar said turning his back to her. "But first there is a small matter I would have you take care of."

"Of course, how may I serve?" she replied trying not to over do her false humility.

"Do you have any assassins within the Vora?"

"Of course, we have many breeds that are adept at ambush and covert operations."

"I will give you what you need," Lokar replied coldly. "But in exchange you are to direct your efforts into eliminating these four problems," he turned to face her holding out a data slate.

Trakeena took the tablet and looked at the faces of the four individuals. "And where are these four to be found?" Trakeena asked.

"The information is all in the pad," he held out another small box.

"What is this?" she asked taking the box from him.

"A few aggressive fungus spores, within days it will have spread throughout the hive providing more than enough for your army. Especially with all the deaths that are near at hand thanks to my earlier gift. It consumes matter like a plague, including your soon to be dead warriors, but is sensitive to light. It requires a dark warm place to grow, and needs water to germinate after which any amount of moisture in the air will be sufficient."

"Thank you," Trakeena said with a bow, "I will put these to excellent use."

"Of that I am certain." Lokar said turning away from her as she left the room.

Trakeena emerged in the hallway happy to be out of Lokar's presence. Something about him never felt right to her. It was almost as if he knew more about what was going on than he cared to make known. She wondered for a moment if he knew about the other colonies? If he did he seemed unconcerned, at least for the moment. Right now her focus had to be on taking care of her promise. Help from Lokar always seemed to come at a price, but she was certain the price of failure would be even higher.

Blue materialized disguised as the Blue Ranger along with a Pink Ranger in an alleyway in New York. The Pink Ranger was little more than a crude replica made with Blue's cloning technology. She looked like the Pink Ranger in her morphed state and sounded like her, but that was all. The armor was barely enough to hold up against Earth weapons, it would be unable to deal with an attack from anything the Rangers might throw at it. Still it looked the part and for now that was all they needed.

"It's about time you got here," Red growled as Blue and his fake Pink appeared.

"You didn't have to wait for me," Blue said.

"Yes we did," Yellow replied.

"And why's that?"

There was a moment of silence.

"It's because Red wasn't sure how to make a scene without blowing our cover," Black blurted out.

Blue sighed. "All you have to do is act like the Rangers until you get a chance to stab someone in the back."

"Well what do you suggest?" Red asked.

"I think we should go 'help' out with the outbreak, I'd like to see what my little virus is doing."

"It won't hurt us will it?" Black asked.

"This batch won't," Blue replied. "It's a test run; the virus has a predetermined lifespan of about twenty-four hours and has a genetic timer to reduce the number of generations to about fifty. Given the rate of reproduction, within the first hour the virus should have exhausted its generational quota so it is no longer contagious and should be non-existent by tomorrow around two pm."

"If you say so," Red replied. "Let's go then.

The Psychos crossed their arms over their chest teleporting across town. As they materialized in front of New York Presbyterian Hospital they were greeted by angry shouts from people gathered outside. While their presence was a violation of military curfew the Sergeant had been understanding of their desire to be present and had been trying to get them to leave peacefully without involving force. Blue tried to ignore the pathetic flesh bags and made his way through the crowd to the barricade which was guarded by military personnel in hazmat suits and gas masks.

"What are you doing here?" The guard asked stepping toward Blue. "You're wanted for questioning."

"I'd be happy to answer any question you have," Blue lied. "First though we need to get a look at this virus, we may be able to cure it."

Red was suddenly hit in the head by a Swiss Army Knife. He turned toward his assailant.

"Take it easy Red," Blue cautioned using his com.

"You ingrate," Red said staring down the man. "Do you really think if we were guilty of blowing up that bus we'd be here trying to help you? Maybe we should just go, let you deal with this all on your own."

There was a sudden silence amongst the crowd. Blue looked back at the guard.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you in until you've been cleared by my superiors." The guard replied.

"Can you at least acquire a sample for me?" Blue asked. "We don't have much time."

The guard motioned to one of the other guards who quickly entered the front of the hospital and relayed the request to a radio operator before returning to his post outside.

"Now what?" Red asked through the com.

"We wait," Blue replied. "I need my sample then you can do whatever you want."

The guard held his hand to the side of his head listening to his orders.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "The US government will not cooperate with you until you've submitted yourself for questioning."

"There isn't enough time," Blue repeated pulling his blaster and put shot through the soldier's head, his gas mask melting into the seared hole.

Screams rippled through the crowd as the other Psychos pulled their blasters and began to remove the guards with ruthless precision. People started to scatter as the Rangers advanced toward the door, the remaining soldiers firing furiously at them to no avail. Blue tossed a device to Red which he recognized immediately as he turned it over staring at the large red button under the glass box.

"Once I have my sample we can find out what that thing does." Blue said putting a bolt through the chest of another soldier.

Red smiled as they proceeded inside, the last of the soldiers present falling to the ground.

"I think we've got something!" Ashley shouted.

The Rangers quickly ran into the room. The newscaster was already disclosing the details of the situation at the hospital.

"…As the Power Rangers attacked the soldiers guarding New York Presbyterian Hospital where those exposed to the strange virus are being treated. I have word…"

"Let's go guys," Jason said as all ten Rangers went for their morphers.

Blue plunged a needle into a man's neck before inserting a collection bottle and drawing a blood sample.

"There was no need for that!" One of the nurses protested. "You could have gotten a sample from his…"

The nurse was unable to finish her statement as Blue put a plasma bolt through her neck. Her body and head both fell to the floor.

"I hate it when people tell me how to do my job," Blue said looking at the terrified man lying on the bed before him. "Don't you."

There was no response from the man. Blue pulled out the collection tube and stored it away before pulling the needle from the man's neck and tossing it aside leaving him to bleed uncontrollably from the wound.

"Good people of New York enjoy what's left of your time here, we're going to take this sample and eliminate this virus even though you tried to stop us." Blue switched over to his com. "Red, three minute delay,"

The Psycho Rangers turned waking out of the room. As the door closed behind them Red pulled out the small device smashing the glass on it and dialed it up to three minutes before depressing the button. He tossed it into a linen basket that was sitting out in the hall as the group turned down another hall headed for the lobby.

"So what was the point of this?" Yellow asked.

"Just trying to bait the Rangers," Blue said. "And see how my little project is coming along. You all know what to do if this thing is a bomb right?"

"Yeah," Black responded. "But what if it isn't?"

"Plan B," Blue replied with a smile.

The Psychos emerged from the hospital to find fresh troops waiting for them, presumably drawn from the perimeter that had been established around the hospital. News crews were still arriving and setting up behind the newly established barricade, many aware that they faced time in prison for being there to cover the story. Blue could sense an incoming teleportation stream. He checked the time remaining on his HUD, this was going to be close, but that would make it that much better. He saw the counter hit zero, and was delighted as the ground shook with a deafening clap like amplified thunder. The hospital behind them lit white as a burning sphere of destruction radiated from the small device. As the blinding light forced everyone to look away and destroyed the optics of the cameras the Psychos leapt forward, passed the soldiers and over the barricade leaving the Pink drone to be consumed by the blast. As they tumbled to the ground they knit together new appearances taking the form on injured bystanders.

Blue suddenly sensed within the teleport stream more power than there should have been. Something was not right.

"Nobody make a move until I can assess the situation," Blue relayed through the com as he and the other Psychos skidded over the pavement as the hospital was consumed by the blast. The blast wave knocked others to the ground and shattered windows before it collapsed into nothingness.

The Rangers materialized just up the street from the barricade. Blue immediately noticed there were more, but the flash had disrupted his vision making it hard to focus on more than basic shapes.

"They have reinforcements," Blue said through the com line.

"How many?" Red asked. "I'm blinded."

"Eight, nine?" Blue said squinting. "Yellow, Black can either of you see?"

"No," Yellow replied. "Everything is washed out."

"Same here," Black said.

"Just as well," Blue said. "If they have help I need to reassess. Red, with your approval I suggest we withdraw without drawing attention to ourselves and regroup on the Dark Fortress."

"Fine," Red said hostilely. "But you better figure this out soon, I'm losing patience with your plan."

The Rangers were at a loss to react to the devastation before them. The hospital had been vaporized by the blast and people were sprawled out across the pavement, some bleeding, others merely disoriented. The soldiers that had been near the front of the building had gotten the worst of it, some were severely burned, a few looked unconscious; Billy couldn't tell if any were dead.

"I'm not seeing anything," Jason said scanning the area.

"Could they have teleported out before we arrived?" Adam asked.

"In order to do that they would have had to known we were coming," Trey said. "Otherwise it would look suspicious to the people if you arrived right after you escaped."

Billy noticed several of the people groping about as they got to their feet.

"I don't think they can see," Billy said. "The explosion must have blinded them,"

"Then here's what we're going to do," Jason said. "The five of us and Tommy will demorph and see if we can get in to help out. Trey, Trip, Zhane, and Andros can take up position on the roof and keep an eye out, if those fakes are here and make a move, do whatever it takes to bring them down."

"That's pretty dangerous," Ashley said.

"True," Billy agreed. "But I don't see another way. If we stay morphed it will only terrify these people."

The six Rangers powered down as the other four leapt to the rooftop of the nearest building keeping a lookout over the ledge. Jason and the others began to run toward the group of people wandering blindly.

"Is everyone alright?" Jason asked.

"What happened here?" Billy asked trying to make their arrival seem more convincing.

"I can't see," a woman replied, a mike in one hand, the other reaching out searching for a solid object.

Jason reached out and took her hand. There was a brief moment of shock.

"It's alright," Jason reassured her, "It's just me."

Jason guided her to the nearest van as the others moved in and began to help the other people to the various vehicles. Getting the last of the people propped against the various news vans present, Billy moved passed the blockade to where the soldiers were lying.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked. "Does anyone need immediate help?"

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers asked trying to crane his head around to see Billy.

"My name is William, I'm a civilian. Do you have a radio I could use to call for help?"

"Reinforcements are already on the way, for your safety please remain behind the barricade," the soldier replied breathing hard.

Billy wanted to object, but with more soldiers coming there was no reason to argue no matter how foolish he felt the soldier's comments were. Reluctantly he walked back to where Jason and the others were calmly talking with the reporters and news personnel. The family members of those that had been in the hospital were sitting on the ground around the vans in a state of shock, unwilling to speak to anyone for the moment.

"The soldiers said they have reinforcements on the way, they want us to remain behind the barrier." Billy said as he approached.

"How's your vision?" Kimberly asked as she crouched down next to a young man sitting on the ground.

"Still fuzzy," Red replied trying to focus on the Pink Ranger. "I think it's getting better though."

"What happened here?" she asked.

"Power Rangers showed up wanting a sample of the virus, when the guard didn't let them in they started shooting."

"Red, we need to start clearing out," Blue said over the com. "There are still four Rangers on the roof, and even with the people's vision impaired we can't act here without exposing ourselves."

"Are you sure it was the Power Rangers?" Kimberly asked. "It doesn't make any sense that they would do something like that."

"I know what I saw," Red protested, his voice raising a little, more in irritation to Blue's suggestion than Kimberly's comment. "At any rate," he began again pulling himself to his feet. "I think I should get out of here before I end up in a jail cell for breaking curfew."

There was a ripple of agreement through the crowd as the man's words hit home. It had been one thing to be in the area when things were calm, but after this it was certain that anyone the military found would be held for questioning. As the sound of distant rotor blades became faintly audible people began to disperse quickly returning to their vehicles to try to escape despite their visual impairment. The news vans were quick to load up; their equipment tossed in without concern for securing it as the crews climbed in and began to pull away carefully.

Jason and the others walked away from the scene as people fled. Heading down the street they turned down the alley behind the building their allies had kept watch from; the four Rangers leaping from the top of the building to join their friends on the streets below.

"We didn't see anything suspicious," Zhane said.

"I agree," Trey replied. "If these imposters were present in the crowd they were certainly well disguised and were able to act the part."

"We can't afford another disaster like this," Jason said glancing around. "They seem to be one step ahead of us, we need to find away to get them to come to us."

"I agree," Billy replied.

"Let's get back to the Command Center," Jason said as the group activated their beacons and vanished in an array of colors.

"I want some answers Blue," Red demanded as he paced the large room. "They were right there I could have grabbed that Pink Ranger."

"I'm working on it," Blue replied as he frantically worked at the computer. "And getting one Ranger, and at that, one that none of us particularly want is not a big deal, it's not like the Red Ranger was right there next to you."

These new intruders had come as a small surprise to Blue. While he had not intended to fight the Rangers, he had not been sure that the flash effect wreaking the other Psycho's vision would be enough of a deterrent. In that sense at least he was delighted that there had been additional interference. He had gone to great lengths to see that the Rangers were viewed as rogue elements. If Hamren did his job they very well could have the Rangers handed to them on a platter. With the information he had provided the General he knew that an emergency meeting had been called the next morning to discuss the recent events. And with the recent modifications he had made to the UN communications equipment there would be some interesting new documents concerning the Ranger's activities today for the UN to consider.

Blue cracked into the database of the Dark Fortress and pulled up a series of files on a group called 'The Lost' that seemed to be recently accessed. Images flashed on the screen showing three other Rangers from other worlds that had recently arrived on Earth. With the addition of these three that would account the extra power that he had detected; or at least it was close enough.

"Here are your extras," Blue said enlarging the file on the display.

The other Psycho Rangers gathered around to look at the file photos.

"Oh, another Red Ranger," Red said as a large grin spread across his face.

"And that is why you need to be patient and trust me," Blue said. "If you want all the time in the world to kill these Rangers we need to do this right,"

"And to think I was beginning to doubt you," Black said with a cackle.

"Who gets the extras?" Yellow asked rubbing her hands together with relish.

"Well there's enough for everyone to have two," Blue said. "How about, any remainders we find go to the Psycho or Psychos who makes their play things scream the loudest?"

"I like it," Red replied as the metal chamber began to reverberate with psychotic laughter.

The team of Rangers materialized in the Command Center. Billy was already moving toward the computer to file his report and transmit it before anything else happened. Those who were still morphed powered down.

"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked. "Those things are going to keep killing innocent people until they get us."

"We have to bring them to us, the question is how?" Jason said.

"It was so much easier to draw the pink one in, she couldn't get to me fast enough," Kimberly said.

"She was rather impulsive," Billy said as he finished up the report and sent it. "I wonder if that's a common weakness?"

"They don't seem to lack for patience right now," Adam said. "It's like they're toying with us."

"Why are they toying with us though?" Billy asked. "On the bridge of the Time Shadow one of them nearly killed Ashley and they were immediately recalled. When Zedd restrains them they try to push through that boundary, but when they seem to have free reign they take their time."

"The pink one was very interested in me living as long as possible before I died," Kimberly replied with a shudder as she recalled the event.

"So this whole thing is some kind of game to them?" Zhane asked. "That's disturbing."

"Wait," Trip said as if something had struck him. "I think I know who these guys are," he turned toward Circuit. "Circuit, bring up the data we have on the Psycho Rangers."

The holo-display lit up as the images of five terrifying figures appeared.

"That's her!" Kimberly exclaimed pointing at Psycho Pink.

Circuit began to narrate. "The Psycho Rangers were originally created by Astronema in an attempt to simultaneously draw off Dark Specter's powers and eliminate the Space Rangers. They were defeated singly by the Space Rangers, but were reconstructed through the use of a matter-energy converter. They were eventually imprisoned by the Space Rangers using the converter, but later released by Trakeena and finally defeated by a combined effort between the Space Rangers and the Galaxy Rangers, though one of the Galaxy Rangers was killed in the final battle with Psycho Pink."

"What are their known weaknesses?" Billy asked.

"While there is a level of uncertainty in this timeline the original Psycho Rangers were completely obsessed with their particular target and were completely knowledgeable in their target's fighting abilities, able to react to the Ranger's moves before they made them."

"That sounds about right," Kimberly commented.

"If they were that reckless why are they being so careful now?" Andros asked.

"Someone must be directing them," Circuit said. "Astronema originally tried to control them, but failed. It stands to reason if they are exercising any restraint it's because of one of the other Psycho Rangers. The other thing that needs to be considered is that the original Psycho Rangers were modeled after the Space Ranger personalities, it stands to reason that these new Psycho Rangers are modeled after your personalities."

"In other words they have a strong leader and a genius," Adam said.

"I think we can work with this," Billy said. "Thank you Circuit."

"Happy to be of assistance," the owl replied turning back to the console.

"Okay," Jason began. "Now that we know what we're dealing with Billy, Adam, and Ashley, I want you to start thinking about what you might do without any moral guidelines. I'll contemplate my own actions as well. If we can figure out what we're likely to do then maybe we can predict their next move. Trey, since you seem to have a fairly logical mind you take charge and work with the others to come up with a plan to lure these Psycho Rangers to us. Any objections?" Jason paused for a moment allowing anyone who wished to speak an opportunity. "Then let's do some brainstorming."

General Hamren was sitting before the assembled representatives of the Security Council and those present who had wished to sit in on the discussion, waiting on their verdict. He had argued his case since the meeting began at eight that morning. The debate had gone on for nearly three hours, but with the bulk of evidence he had against the Rangers he felt confident that the other world powers would see the logic in his request.

His efforts had been further aided as Secretary of Defense James Morgan had been indicted for the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Brian Vanders. While the General was not happy about the Vanders' death, it had removed James Morgan from getting in his way, and for that he was glad. Also, in another stroke of good fortune he had opened his briefcase this morning to find transcripts of the Power Ranger's reports from the day before concerning the incident at the Trade Center through the incident at the Hospital. It was this document that proved critical as the authenticated transmission indicated that the Rangers had indeed entered the premises by force in an effort to contain the virus. He was unable to prove that the resulting explosion that had destroyed the facility was done maliciously, but it was obvious from the damage done that it was not caused by any weapon the US military currently possessed.

The time he spent waiting outside while they discussed the issues amongst themselves had seemed to drag on, but at last he would have their answer. As the head of the Security Council rose to deliver the verdict Hamren's hands tightened slightly on the top of his briefcase.

"General Hamren," the man began. "Considering your request to create a taskforce to bring the Power Rangers in for questioning by any means necessary, in a unanimous decision the UN Security Council supports your proposal."

"Thank you," General Hamren replied. "I promise you that we will resolve the current crisis and restore order to our world."


	15. Chapter 15

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-15-

Billy woke up to the buzzing of the alarm as he drug himself from his bed. Swinging his feet out he suddenly recalled that his bed was not on ground level anymore. He clutched to the edge of the bed frame to keep himself from toppling forward. It had been ten days since they had begun operating in shifts and he still wasn't use to it. Regaining his balance he reached over to his nightstand and took his glasses before hopping down.

Yawning and stretching he glanced around the room as the lights came on bathing the room in a fluorescent blue glow. Adam was sitting up in his bed and above him Rocky had pulled the covers over his head. Andros' and Trip's beds were already empty, those two had seemed to have no trouble adapting to the new schedule. Still stretching he exited the sleeping quarters and entered the main chamber. A cool breeze greeted him and he could see the streak of sunlight that stretched across the floor from the open doorway down the main hall. Kimberly looked up at him from her chair where she sat curled up, a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Another mug was sitting on the small end table she had moved over by her chair.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. "You sleep better tonight?"

"A little," Billy said.

"I hope you don't mind, but we opened up the Command Center to get some real fresh air in here this morning."

"That's fine," Billy said with a yawn. "Excuse me. How are you doing with the whole night shift?"

"I'm really starting to enjoy it," she said. "Once you get use to sleeping in the day, which your idea really helped with, it's actually fun, I get to watch the sun rise every morning."

"I'm glad it's going better for you now," he said as he continued to walk toward the bathroom.

After the first two days Team One had become worn out as they battled with their circadian rhythm to try to sleep during the day. Billy had been able to quickly assemble a set of brain wave manipulators, which essentially influenced the mental state of the subject lowering the mind's activity from the Alpha state down to the Delta state of deep sleep. The devices had worked so well that more were made to accommodate everyone. So far the result had been more restful sleep during their downtime; though some of that he had to contribute to the lack of activity from the Psycho Rangers. Billy stepped into one of the showers and turned it on; the hot water raining down on him immediately quickened his senses. He was glad for the break from the dilemma caused by their evil counterparts, it had allowed them to get several things done around the Command Center, but more importantly those things weren't out killing people.

Kimberly took another sip of her cocoa, the cool mountain air still drifting into the Main Chamber. The news had been very uneventful as of late. While there was plenty of controversy concerning the Power Rangers and whose side they were really on there was no new news since the incident at the hospital. All their patrols had turned up nothing, and even the times they had left a member of the team out in the open alone, well not completely alone, the others had always been watching, but the Psycho Rangers didn't appear to be taking the bait.

While Kimberly could understand why people were upset about the situation she had to remind herself that they weren't mad at her, they were really angry with the Psycho Rangers, they just didn't know it. The things that hurt though were the constant comparisons to Josh when he had been under Lord Zedd's control. Even though parts of the funeral had been televised the general public was not aware that Serpentera would have wiped out the entire planet if Josh had not stopped it. It was fortunate for the other Rangers however that their faces had not been shown. While their secret was shared with many military personnel and world leaders and it was in fact likely that anyone in the government could now access that information, they had still not openly announced their identities to the public. This originally had made it easier to walk around the streets freely. Now it helped them continue to look for the Psycho Rangers without drawing any negative attention.

There relationship with the UN had been strained recently as the UN had informed them that until they submitted themselves for question they would be withdrawing their support of the Power Rangers. It had been a difficult decision, but Jason, Billy, and Trey had all agreed that if they were to be confined and stripped of their powers it was almost certain that the Psycho Rangers would take advantage of the situation. Billy had submitted their refusal to submit to questioning under their guidelines with a detailed explanation of why they were refusing. At this point it didn't appear that the UN was taking any further action other than disowning them, but Billy still thought it wise to keep them informed regarding their actions; so far though no conflicts had occurred.

As she flipped to another station Jason came back in. Despite the cool air his shirt was soaked with sweat. His breathing was still a little heavy.

"You guys have a good run?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jason said.

He sat down for a moment to catch his breath. While he was seated Adam exited the sleeping quarters and staggered into the bathroom not even acknowledging anyone's presence.

"He doesn't seem to be a morning person," Kimberly said with a grin.

Jason smiled, but said nothing as he tried to get his breathing under control. Trip was the next one in to the Command Center, while he seemed to have run slower than Jason his breathing was still well controlled. Tommy followed closely behind him, a little winded. Zhane, Trey, and Andros were the last ones in, all were out of breath.

"You guys okay?" Kimberly asked looking a little concerned.

Zhane nodded, but didn't speak. Trip grinned.

"I think all that time out in space made you soft." He said as a joke.

"I think it's this planet's atmosphere," Zhane said between breaths.

"Or maybe you're just getting old," Andros teased though he was fairing about as well.

Zhane laughed making it harder to breath. As he managed to catch his breath he replied, "I'm younger than you,"

"By a week," Andros retorted.

"I don't think age has anything to do with it," Trey said. "I'm older than all of you."

"You're right," Zhane said. "You are old."

"So is everyone else up?" Jason asked.

"I saw Billy before you got back," Kimberly said. "So that just leaves,"

Before Kimberly could finish her sentence, as if on cue, Ashley emerged from her sleeping quarters in a yellow robe and puppy slippers. She walked out slowly letting her eyes adjust to the light before sitting down next to Kimberly.

"Good morning sunshine," Kimberly said offering her the extra mug of cocoa. "Want some?"

"Thanks," Ashley replied accepting the cup and taking a sip before curling up in the chair and leaning her head on Kimberly's shoulder.

"You not sleep well?" Kimberly asked stroking her hair.

"I think I slept too well," she said yawning. "I just don't want to wake up."

"Those are cute slippers," Zhane teased.

"Don't make fun of the slippers," Kimberly said with a playfully stern look.

Jason was glad to see everyone in such high spirits, given the events of the last couple weeks he wasn't sure that everyone would be able to keep it together, but they had managed to recover quiet well. He knew some of that had to do with the lack of activity from Zedd or his minions. While Jason wanted to believe that this lull was a good thing, he couldn't shake the haunting feeling that Zedd was merely bidding his time before he chose to hammer his final attack home.

Tommy was still fairly quiet in groups, at least where lighthearted discussion was involved. Jason assumed he was probably a little intimidated by everyone. Not only was he the newest of the group, but he was new as a Ranger. He was doing his best to include him, but he knew it would take time before he found his niche in the group.

By comparison the others had integrated well. Zhane had seemed at home here since the moment he arrived. Trey and Trip had found a ready friend in Billy where they could discuss matters freely that went over the heads of most of the others, but both were outwardly friendly and seemed to enjoy the company of others.

Even Andros, though a dark cloud was still hanging over him, had become more involved and seemed more interested in being part of the group. He knew Ashley had reached out to him, almost from the moment he had arrived. It was something he would have normally expected from Kimberly, but with the loss she was dealing with he could understand her reluctance, she needed someone to be there for her right now. Still Ashley seemed to be what Andros needed, though Zhane had continued to encourage him to interact with her and the others more too.

"So when do we eat?" Zhane asked looking at Andros and Trip.

"When you make it," Andros replied. "We did dinner last night."

"That's right," Zhane recalled. "I think we should make those things we had the other morning."

"You mean the toaster waffles?" Ashley offered.

"Yeah," Zhane replied. "Easy to make, easy to clean up, they taste great, what's not to love?"

"Come on," Kimberly said with a laugh as she got up and spun Zhane toward the kitchen. "You can make toast, I'll make some eggs and bacon."

"I'm going crazy!" Red said as he paced furiously around the room.

"Crazy?" Blue asked looking at him.

"Crazier!" Red replied aggression oozing from every word.

"So go out and kill some people," Blue said. "I'm almost done here."

"I can't," Red replied. "I can't stand not being morphed, my skin gets itchy, I get shaky, I feel nauseas."

"So then use your optical camouflage or go in disguise." Blue replied.

"I think there's something wrong with me, something wrong with all of us." Red continued ignoring Blue's suggestion.

"You just need to get out," Blue repeated.

"No, I think he's right," Yellow said.

"Then go bug Astronema!" Blue snapped. "I'm trying to get this done!"

The other Psycho Rangers recoiled slightly. Blue turned back to his work. He knew they were right, something was wrong. Their genes were mutating, he wasn't exactly sure why, but he suspected Astronema was more knowledgeable on this problem. He had read the reports she had cataloged on Psycho Green, he knew it had to do with their morphed state. The onset had been slower in them because they had spent much of their time initially unmorphed exploring human society. He hadn't needed Astronema's report to tell him their powers were addictive, he had noticed the signs nearly two weeks ago. While he had made a sedative that eased the effects of what he had dubbed 'grid withdrawal' it had other side effects that he was not pleased with, the chief one being hallucinations. The last thing he needed was a group of Psycho Rangers seeing things that weren't there.

"Who died and left you in charge?" Red said walking over to the workstation and knocking Blue to the floor.

"You're about to!" Blue shouted as he launched himself at Red.

Blue slammed into Red's midsection and both Psychos tumbled to the ground in a tussle. Blue managed to pin Red's arms down and get his hand over Red's face. He began bashing it into the metal floor with a ringing echo throughout the room on each hit. Red pulled one of his arms free and hit Blue with a wide swing. Blue tumbled to the ground as Red leapt on him and began punching him repeatedly in the face. Blue struggled to get free, but he was no match for Red when he was this worked up. The hits continued to slam into his face plate and Blue could see cracks beginning to form in his visor.

"Alright stop!" Blue said in a panic. Another strike slammed into his helmet. "I'll give you something to make the pain stop!"

Red continued to beat Blue's head into the ground, his mind clouded by rage. Black and Yellow were quick to rush to Blue's aid and pull Red off him. Red kicked and jerked wildly trying to throw off the other two Psychos.

"I'll kill all of you! I'll rip out your hearts and shove them down your throats!" Red threatened as he flailed in the grip of Yellow and Black.

"Just hold him a second longer," Blue said getting to his feet, grabbing a small silver cylinder from his workstation.

Blue rushed forward and threw a hard punch into Red's solar plexus. Red toppled over struggling to breath. As Black and Yellow guided him to the ground Blue ripped the helmet from his head and plunged the silver object into the side of his neck. There was a hissing as the contents of the hypodermic contained within forced a large amount of fluid into Red. Red looked up at Blue, his eyes were completely bloodshot making them nothing more than dark pools. Dark tears of black blood ran from the corners of his eyes down his face. Then Blue noticed that his ears had fused to the side of his head and thin feathers had begun to form in the midst of his hair.

Blue picked up Red's helmet and placed it back on his head hoping that Black and Yellow hadn't noticed. If they had they said nothing. Red began to relax. Black and Yellow let go and stood back up. Red fell to the floor a foaming yellow liquid oozing from his mouth.

"What did you put in him?" Black asked.

"Hard to say," Blue replied looking at the metal cylinder. "It's not labeled."

Blue squeezed a small amount of the remaining liquid onto his fingers. Nano-machines began to break down the substance feeding the data to his HUD.

"Oh good, it's only arsenic." Blue said relived.

"Isn't that poison?" Yellow asked.

"Yes," Blue said. "But it's not potent enough to kill one of us. He's just in a regenerative cycle while his body expels the toxin."

"So what do you have to make the pain stop?" Black asked.

"These," Blue said holding out several black liquid caps in a sealed vial. "They have their own side effects though, but you can have them if you take Red and go away. They should make you feel pretty good."

"Fine," Yellow replied taking the bottle. "But we're gonna need more than a quick fix if we're going to be any match for the Rangers."

"I'm working on it," Blue assured her. "You think I like feeling like this?"

Black and Yellow nodded as they gathered up Red and teleported from the room. Blue returned to his workstation. Enabling the visual recorder he removed his helmet and starred into the imager. He rotated his head to the left and the right and then looked up and down. He ended the recording and put his helmet back on. Playing back the data he looked over his appearance. He could see that his facial features had also changed, his eyelids had become nonexistent, which was of some relief to him, he thought he had been under too much stress to blink. His eyes were now blue glassy pools. His nose had caved in leaving two holes in his face just above his upper jaw and his once platinum blonde hair now had streaks of black. He sat back for a moment contemplating the situation. He needed more information, and the only place to get it was from Astronema. He checked the vitals on his developing clones and then proceeded toward the bridge.

General Hamren was sitting at his desk going over the reports from LSR. TACOM had successfully converted two tank factories to produce the new Exo-Rangers Battle Armor System. New units had begun rolling off the assembly lines two days ago and eager soldiers were already being trained in them. Still it wasn't enough. They needed the Ranger's abilities, and more importantly their Zords.

LSR had a single Zord at present, and while it was being refitted with the new power system that Fairweather had developed it was still only a proto-type and was smaller than a standard Zord, a quad crab walker standing around ninety feet in height. While it had more firepower than several tank divisions it was no match for a real Zord. If they could produce large numbers of them they might be effective as weapons, but even with TACOM working on the problem it was extremely unlikely that they would reach a state of being able to manufacture one before Zedd attacked. The fact that a single Zord had a price tag of half a trillion dollars also was a limiting factor. Especially in this time when all countries were using all the resources they could get to build their militaries up.

While he had gotten his approval from the UN Security Council to capture the Power Rangers the logistics had proved slightly more difficult. With the Rangers mobility they could literally get anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds and could easily escape if cornered. This was an issue that he theoretically had an answer to. Three days ago a crate had arrived which was shipped from a research division known as 'Blue' that had apparently conducted research alongside several of the other divisions at Area Fifty-one. While a search for the division had yielded little information General Hamren had approved use of the devices that were described as Matter Transition Interrupters. However, as no world power had the ability to teleport people it was impossible to test.

Despite this minor unknown, a plan had been devised to lure the Rangers from hiding and trap them using the Interrupters. The problem at that point would be how to neutralize the Rangers once they had been contained. Some suggestions had been made, but it was unknown if any would work. Still the window of opportunity was closing fast and they had to act before the door slammed shut. As time passed support for the taskforce was slowly slipping as the prolonged silence had given rise to questions concerning the incidents in New York.

General Hamren looked over the proposals again. Their armor was effectively an environmental combat suit. It was insolated from the outside; it was even capable of surviving in the vacuum of space. There had to be a weakness, they just needed to find it.

Blue stepped onto the bridge of the Dark Fortress. As the Quantrons moved to bar his way, he struggled to restrain his instinct to rip their arms from their bodies and beat them into a state of non-functioning.

Astronema glanced over at the door surprised to see Blue actually waiting behind the crossed blades of her guards.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a sense of smugness.

"I need to know what's happening to us," Blue said trying to keep his voice calm. "Why is our DNA mutating?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Astronema lied turning her back to Blue.

Blue muttered a series of derogatory curses under his breath. "I know you know what's going on." He said trying to keep his growing rage in check. "I've read the files."

"Then you know as much as we do," Astronema replied. "You simply have more power than your bodies can handle. Why this is causing your DNA to mutate I haven't been able to discover."

"I think I do," Blue said apparently having a sudden epiphany.

"Care to share?" Astronema turned to face him, but he had already disappeared from the doorway.

"Shall I go fetch him Empress?" Ecliptor asked glaring toward the vacant doorway.

"No, let him go, it's of little consequence now,"

Blue was rapidly walking down the hall toward the elevator. It was so obvious all of a sudden. They were mutating because of the accelerated rate that their cells were regenerating at, they were burning through their life span faster than was normal to compensate for the cellular damage that was occurring due to the higher energy levels of their morphed state. It was like overloading a filament and then replacing the bulb when it constantly burned out. As a result each new set of cells was being bombarded by high levels of energy which was probably turning on genetic switches that should be dormant or on for shorter periods. Compare these minor mutations with rapid generational cycles and it was possible to achieve divergent genetic mutation within a single body. What they needed was an enhanced body structure, one capable of taking the strain, a genetic structure more resistant to mutation. As he began running a check on his own body to determine the energy output he discovered something interesting. Their power, while significantly higher than that of a standard Power Ranger, was not flowing at a constant rate, it was surging erratically. At points it was nearly one-hundred fold what it should have been.

"So," Blue said muttering to himself. "The issue isn't the level of power, it's the level of chaos, I don't need a stronger body, I need a regulator."

"Do you really think you can make one?" a voice asked.

"Of course I can, I just need some information on the design of a Morpher."

"And where will you get that?"

"Astronema must have the designs for our Morphers somewhere; I just need to locate them."

"I could go look for it while you finish your work," the voice offered.

"No," Blue replied. "I'll take care of it myself; you go work on the plan,"

Blue stepped into the elevator alone; the doors closed leaving the corridor empty.

"So what's on the agenda this morning boss?" Andros asked in a light hearted tone.

Billy grinned as he sat down at the breakfast table with the others. While it wasn't official, he had, in a way, become the leader of the second team. This had come as no surprise to him since he was the most senior member of the Rangers from Earth. While he often looked to Andros' and Trip's expertise in other fields, he knew more about Earth than any of the others. He knew some of this was the result of Adam and Ashley readily looking to him for direction as Jason and Kimberly weren't present. He still wasn't sure how he felt about being in charge. Before Jason's return he and Joshua had shared leadership, at least to the limited extent that Josh chose to lead when it came to combat. Billy had handled the tactical side of things and many of the decisions had been resolved by team input. While this was still largely true, with the growing number of opinions and view points that had been added to the group and the division created by the two teams, more and more the groups were settling into new roles with two leaders who worked very differently. While neither team had been tested under combat, the growing silence from Lord Zedd's forces likely pointed to a large conflict about to begin, Billy was curious how his group would perform when the time came, and if he really had what it took to lead the group.

"Same as it has been," Billy replied. "We go look for the Psycho Rangers. I think the living arrangements are sufficient enough for the time that we can focus more on the enemy. This continued silence is concerning me."

"I agree," Jason said taking another piece of toast. "They were so determined to accomplish everything quickly before, and now we hear nothing from them for over a week."

"I'm fine with that," Kimberly replied. "The less we see of them the better."

"Still," Trey pondered. "I wonder if they are still active, but merely not being noticed."

"You think they've switched to a more covert approach?" Billy asked.

"That would make them nearly impossible to locate," Andros commented.

"Indeed," Trey replied lost in thought.

"I'm more concerned that we haven't seen anything from Zedd recently," Adam said. "No activity from Astronema, Lokar, Goldar, Scorpina, that shark warrior, the goblin that animates corpses, what are all these people doing?"

"He raises a good point," Jason said. "We have allowed ourselves to focus too much on just the Psycho Rangers."

"I don't see what else we can do concerning Lord Zedd," Billy replied. "Short of going to the Lunar Palace or attacking the Dark Fortress there isn't much else we can do. The Psycho Rangers are currently the greatest threat to us."

"Maybe we should attack," Andros suggested.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I mean, we have four ships and a large number of Mega Zords. Lord Zedd has a single fortress and the space station. No other ships are present. We should take advantage of this and attack."

"There are the Velocifighters though," Billy said. "And the teleportation system isn't powerful enough to send a single Mega Zord to the moon.

"And Lord Zedd was able to fight against our Mega Zord when we faced him a few weeks ago," Kimberly added.

"That's true," Adam agreed. "Lord Zedd has more power than we could even gauge. It's possible he could wipe us out on his own."

"Then why hasn't he?" Aisha asked.

"It's not the way he does things," Andros said. "When the attack against KO-Thirty-Five came, it came all at once. In a single day Lord Zedd waged a war across the entire planet crushing all our military forces with a decisive blow. He dislikes long campaigns. World after world has fallen the same way, he gathers his forces and then strikes all at once. On rare occasions when Power Rangers were present he sent a vanguard to deal with them while he assembled his fleet."

"That sounds like what happened here," Billy said. "Except the Machine Empire arrived and disrupted his plans. Somehow that attack kept him occupied for nearly a year."

"I think Andros may be right," Jason said. "I realize Lord Zedd is powerful, but when will we have a better chance than this to attack him directly? Couldn't we fit some of the Zords with rockets or find a way for other Zords to carry them?"

"I'm sure Pyramidas could carry several Zords," Trey commented. "It has a vast amount of cargo space."

"Spatial distortion detected," Beta announced.

"Bring up the display," Billy said jumping from his seat.

"I'll bet anything this ruins our plans," Zhane said.

"No need to be negative," Kimberly said as everyone began to move toward the display.

The image showed a large expanse of space to the left of the moon. In a sudden burst of red light hundreds of warships emerged from nowhere. The serpent-like tails of energy behind the ships fading away as the fleet hovered ominously in the void. More continued to transition into the system placing the fleet strength in the thousands.

"Told you," Zhane commented.

"I should have mentioned my idea sooner," Andros said looking out over the hundreds of ships.

"You had no way of knowing this would happen," Ashley said trying to reassure him.

"Maybe not," Andros said. "But I am almost positive that's the same fleet we escaped from."

"That's not possible," Zhane said. "They should still be recharging in the Delgati system."

"That marking looks familiar," Andros said pointing at one of the larger warships on the display. "Circuit can you upload the visual records from Deca and compare them with the current image."

"Of course Andros," Circuit replied.

The owl's eyes turned green for a moment as it established its uplink and began searching through the files. Images began to flash up on the holo-display alongside the existing image. Finally an image appeared showing the same iconography that existed on the current warship.

"It's a match," Circuit announced as his eyes faded back to yellow.

"I don't know how they did it," Andros said. "But they found a way to transition out of the system quicker than we anticipated."

Deviot proceeded down the corridor leading to Lord Zedd's throne room. He was incredibly nervous. Though he had served in Lord Zedd's Empire for nearly half a century he had never been in his presence. Two Quantrons walked alongside him, his personal guard. Approaching the door he hesitated for a moment as he felt a sinister presence descend on his mind like a shadow. He tried desperately to control his fear as he pushed open the door. The twin doors opened wide revealing the main chamber, at the end of which sat the dark lord himself. His eyes burned with a crimson flame, as Deviot approached he could hear the faintest wailing, like distant cries. With each step he took he felt his entire body tense, resisting his will to take another step. Coming within a few meters Deviot fell to his knees, the fear more than he could bear. He tried to raise his eyes, but could look no higher than the armored shin plates. Horrific apparitions of crimson and deep violet writhed within the blackened armor. Their mouths opened wide as they twisted in torment. Ghostly hands pressed against the surface as if trying to escape.

"I understand you allowed The Lost to escape." Lord Zedd's voice echoed through his mind, ravaging the very depths of his soul.

Deviot tried to respond but found himself choking to even breathe. His chest tightened as if he were in the vice of some terrible creature. His head thundered as Lord Zedd imparted his thoughts to him. All reality became distant as if nothing more than an illusion, light and dark blurred together, his whole world reverberating with each syllable conveyed.

"Is this true?" Zedd repeated taking sadistic pleasure in Deviot's extreme discomfort.

While it was true that Lord Zedd was capable of restraining the shear terror that psychically emanated from his being it was vital in establishing first impressions among those who served him; especially those who had failed him. As he felt Deviot begin to slip into unconsciousness he pulled back slightly allowing the terror to subside in his mind.

"Well?" Zedd asked again.

"Forgive me my Lord," Deviot choked out. "I did fail you,"

"You did," Zedd affirmed. "But you, unlike many others will have a single chance to redeem yourself."

"Thank you my Lord," Deviot stuttered.

"If you should fail me again however, be assured you will wish you had never been given the opportunity."

Deviot began to shake uncontrollably as Lord Zedd once again let the horror of his being press hard against his feeble mind. With a gesture Lord Zedd motioned to the Quantrons who stepped forward and took Deviot's arms. Picking up his limp body they carried him from the throne room.

As the door shut Lord Zedd began to laugh. With the thirty-seventh fleet's arrival he now had the resources he needed to finally conquer the Earth. It was time to begin preparations for the final battle. In less than two cycles Earth would be a fiery ruin and then he would place his palace on the ashes of Angel Grove.

Trakeena looked over the information contained within the data slate once more. The task Lokar had given her was not an easy one, nor was success likely to come with any additional reward as Lord Zedd himself was not to know of this operation. The only known way into the Command Center was through the thick granite strata at the base of the Command Center's lowest levels. Once inside there were massive sensor networks and automated defenses including shield barriers that could be raised in an instant. In order to successfully eliminate the four targets her minions would have to infiltrate the Command Center from the lowest levels and work their way up through the elaborate fortress to the main chamber on the surface. Of course this was the way Lokar had suggested she go about it to avoid the shields that covered the Command Center like a protective dome.

What caught her attention however, was the apparently overlooked fact that the generators for these shields were only several meters below the surface of the rock face. It would be a much simpler matter to dig up the side of the mountain and slip under the shield generators to gain access to surface structure. Granted the space between the generators and the nearly impervious base of the Command Center was less than half a meter. This would have proven difficult, impossible in fact, for many of her minions, but she still had a subspecies within the Vora that would serve nicely.

"Furio!" She called.

"Yes my Lady?" Furio replied entering the room and kneeling before her.

She held out the data slate to him. "I want you to organize a group of assassins to infiltrate the Command Center and eliminate the targets indicated, use the Rakani. Have them work their way up the mountain under the shield generators and attack the main structure."

"I will see to it at once," Furio replied taking the tablet from her and departing from the room.

It would still be nearly a day before her drones finished tunneling around the Command Center. She could only hope that Lokar was in no immediate hurry. If he should come to check on her progress it could undermine everything she had been working toward. Lord Zedd might be the conqueror of Earth, but she was certain, before the end she would be its ruler.

Psycho Pink opened her eyes her mind hazy. What had happened? The Pink Ranger! She sat up suddenly frantically looking around. She was in a room that appeared to be a burial chamber. The room had a heavy stench of blood and decay hanging in the stagnant air. A pillar stood in each corner blazing with a light blue flame. On the walls around her were icons of skulls written in blood, a triangle appeared behind each one with three lines running horizontally through it. Beneath her was a heptagram painted in blood on the floor, the center of which was around her body. A door, or more precisely a large stone slab, blocked the only exit from the room.

In a sudden panic Pink gripped her chest, her fingers sliding over the black cloth she was wrapped in, groping at the Morpher embedded in her solar plexus. Her finger slid into the hole where her jewel should have been, someone had taken her power away. With a shriek like a banshee Pink leapt to her feet and threw herself against the door. Even as she beat against the rock she could tell something was different, she didn't quiet feel like herself. She stepped back for a moment looking at her arms. Her flesh was plaid gray; her fingernails were dark and gritty. Pulling the cloth back from her arms she discovered that they had been sown on with thick threads. Maggots festered around the break in her arm. She began checking her other limbs.

"I think you'll find they're all the same my dear," came a voice as a snake-like woman with wings entered the room; her form passing through the stone slab as if it were nonexistent.

"Who are you?" Pink asked with a malicious glare. "Where is my jewel?"

"I am Vypra, and you will receive your jewel back when we are ready to make our move, not before."

"Give it to me!" Pink howled as she lunged at Vypra.

Vypra reached out and caught her by the throat before lifting her into the air.

"There's no need for that," another voice came as a warrior in bone white armor and a blue cape passed through the stone slab into the room. "You'll be obedient won't you my dear?"

Pink could see her jewel held in a small skeletal hand on a chain around his neck. The thought that she would obey such a grotesque monster was appalling to her. With every fiber of her being she wanted to rip the jewel from his neck and violate his decaying husk of a body in the most vile of ways imaginable. Yet she could not seem to manifest her will. Something suppressed her anger, as if her body no longer obeyed her.

"I'll be obedient, Lord Rito" she replied the words forming unnaturally in her mouth. How did she know his name?

Vypra released her letting her fall to the floor. Her first impulse was to leap at Rito, but her body simply knelt submissively. The feeling disgusted her and she screamed within her mind futilely trying to override the hold he seemed to have on her.

"You can't refuse me my dear." Rito said, the tendons around his jaw curling upward as if smiling. "You are now undead, and as such you are bound to me. Unlike the control your former masters placed on you, mine is absolute. When you receive your powers once again I hope you will appreciate the gift I have graciously imparted. You see, now that you are dead your body will no longer deteriorate when you use your powers, I have made you better, I have made you stronger."

Pink struggled against the pull of her necrotized flesh, but her head rose as she looked at Rito staring into his eyes with an adoring smile.

"Thank you Lord Rito," she said. "My only desire is to serve you."

Kimberly awoke to the alarm buzzing. It was not particularly pleasant to wake up to the same monotone ringing, but there was little that could be done about it. If she was honest with herself she would admit that if the noise was more soothing it would only make it that much harder to get up. At least having the night watch meant she had the room to herself while she slept. Though actually, today, given the activities of the morning she was expecting to be awakened to find Earth under attack. While Jason had not wanted to get any rest Billy and Trey had talked him into it. There was nothing they could do at the moment and no reason for Jason not to sleep while he could. They knew an attack was coming, but there was little they could do about it. Even if Pyramidas could continue to be rearmed and recharged rapidly with the Command Center's power grid the fleet was too large for them to do any significant damage. When the fighting did start it was likely going to be a worldwide war. While the Rangers would be at the forefront of the most intense fighting there was little, if anything, they could do preemptively without bringing a full scale attack down on the Earth.

The arrival of the massive armada had not gone unnoticed by the world's governments either. Militaries worldwide had been placed in a state of high alert and the satellite missile systems had been armed. The Rangers knew that these weapons would be mostly ineffective purely because of the range advantage the fleet had. Billy had originally advised the world leaders that to launch any attacks at range would be futile and encouraged everyone to create systems that would lie dormant until a ship was within a few hundred yards to minimize the time available to shoot down the missiles. She guessed they would find out if people had taken him seriously or not.

With a yawn she flipped her feet over the edge and touched them down on the area rug at the base of her bed. Rubbing her eyes she searched the floor with her feet finally locating her slippers. Taking the robe from the hook at the foot of the bed she threw it around herself and walked out into the Command Center.

"Hey sleepy head," Ashley said with a smile.

"Morning," Kimberly replied sleepily. "How did the day go?"

"Quiet again," Ashley said. "Nothing since the fleet arrived this morning."

"Where is everyone else?" Kimberly asked suddenly noticing the Command Center was relatively empty.

"Everyone else is out getting dinner while looking for the Psycho Rangers," Ashley replied. "We're having Chinese."

"Even Shawna and Aisha went?" she asked.

"Yeah, they really wanted to get out for a little bit, not that I can blame them. They don't exactly have the ability to come and go as they please. So I offered to stay behind and keep watch."

"You want some company until everyone gets back?" Kimberly asked.

"It's okay, you can go do your thing," she replied.

The door to the other sleeping quarters slid open and Zhane and Jason emerged followed by Trey.

"Good morning." Kimberly said with a smile.

"It's night," Zhane replied still a little dazed.

"It's all relative," Trey replied.

"Good morning Kim," Jason said. "Morning Ashley,"

"Morning Jason, the guys are out getting Chinese for dinner, they should be back soon." Ashley replied.

Jason gave her a thumbs up indicating that he had heard her before stumbling into the bathroom. Zhane and Trey followed. Kimberly smiled at Ashley with a nod before entering her own bathroom.

Ashley turned back toward the holo-display continuing to flip through the news networks. It was strange that things had been so quiet today, relatively speaking of course. The news was filled with stories of the arrival of Lord Zedd's fleet. The massive warships were apparently visible to the naked eye as small specs in the sky, though they were more visible at night with the light reflecting off their metal hulls.

Personally Ashley felt the debates on the news were pointless. Why anyone wanted to hear a dozen points of view on what Zedd might do next was beyond her. While she knew Billy and the others discussed it frequently they had more information than the general public. What was the general public going to do about it anyway? The military was barely equipped to fight against the superior forces, the best thing anybody could do was to take shelter until the fighting was done. All this talk about the 'what ifs' would only get people riled up. That would lead to panic in the cities and would only result in looting and greater problems in getting people to safety. Though, with martial law currently enforced it was just as likely that any illegal activity would be corporally punished on the spot. With more important matters going on it wasn't likely that they would waste time arresting them. Of course, with that in mind, she could see it not even being worth the time to punish them at all.

A thought suddenly occurred to her; with all this going on right now it was very possible that random killings could also go unreported. She was certain that if the Power Rangers were to start killing people it would draw attention from the press. But if the Psychos were merely killing people at random again it was unlikely that the news would take the time to say much about it unless it happened to be local news; though she might be over thinking the matter. There had been no activity from the Psycho Rangers in over a week, what were the odds that they had chosen today of all days to go out only to go unnoticed? It might be logical given the circumstances, but past evidence didn't suggest they thought things through that thoroughly.

"Now I'm starting to think like Billy," Ashley said aloud to herself with a laugh as she flipped to another channel.

At least the down time had given her the opportunity to talk with Andros more. The first day or two had been a little rough; she was never sure if he had held back because he could sense that her interest in him was more than just casual, or if the time spent away from other people had made him more reserved. It was a little intimidating to think that he could read her thoughts and feelings as easily as she could read a book. She wasn't even sure why she felt so drawn to him, something about it felt so right somehow, like it was natural.

Whatever the reasons he had come around, slowly at first, but the more they talked the more she could see his defenses relax. In some ways it reminded her of Josh and Kimberly talking all those mornings, that time seeming so distant now. In many ways Andros reminded her of Joshua, granted there were huge differences in their personalities, but the two of them would have probably gotten along quite well.

She still hadn't had the chance to talk to Kimberly about Andros much since the previous week. She also wasn't sure if she should. While it was true she wasn't sure Andros saw her as more than a friend, the more important matter was her relationship with Josh. While there was never anything official between them, and she had denied feeling anything deeper, Ashley always suspected there was more between them than either one was willing to admit. It was this concern that had made her reluctant to talk to Kimberly more about how she felt about Andros. It was better to let her ask if she wanted to know.

General Hamren was looking down at the two remaining proposals on the table in his tent. It had been a long day, but he had managed to sort through the nearly two dozen options he had been presented with. He had consulted with several technicians and had even sought out Doctor Fairweather's opinion on the matter. He had broached the matter with her under the guise that he was concerned about power disruption with the new exo-armor. Her insights had proved crucial to his decision.

Now, however, he was torn between the two proposals that remained as both had an equal chance of working. He glanced over at the clock; it was nearly twenty thirty. With a sigh he gathered up the two folders. He didn't have time to decide. With the strengthened military presence Lord Zedd now had time was critical. They would simply have to requisition more soldiers and carry out both plans simultaneously. It should be easy with the pressure everyone was under; any promise of help would be eagerly accepted no matter what the cost.

Hamren rose from the table and exited the tent taking the folders with him. It was time to start showing some results.

Blue was hunched over his workstation manipulating the design for a Morpher Regulator on his monitor. His face was nearly pressed against the screen as he manipulated the tiniest parts of the matrix's atomic structure. The designs for the Morpher had been easier to find than he had anticipated, and he couldn't help but wonder if Astronema had wanted him to discover them.

"You're being paranoid," the voice replied. "Quit messing with that stupid device and get back to work on our plan."

"I almost have it," he said with relish ignoring the voice.

"We don't have time for this," the voice replied. "Lord Zedd is going to attack soon, Hamren's plan will be carried out soon and the clones still need to finish incubating. We can not afford this distraction; you should be watching the levels."

"Shut up," Blue hissed. "This is crucial! If I don't figure this out my mind will continue to deteriorate as will my health and that of the other Psychos too. If you're so concerned about the levels you go watch them!"

"I would, but I seem to be stuck here with you," the voice replied.

"Then shut up and let me finish!"

"I didn't say anything," came Black's voice from behind him.

"How long have you been there?" Blue demanded.

"Just got here," Yellow replied, her tone strangely happy.

"So how have you been?" Red asked slightly slurring his words.

"What happened to you?" Blue asked not diverting his gaze from the screen.

"Forget about them, get one of them to check the levels." The voice repeated.

"I said shut up about that!"

"I didn't say anything," Red replied.

"Not… oh never mind," Blue said.

"Ask him to check the levels and I'll be quiet." The voice threatened.

"I don't take orders from you," Blue hissed.

"Look about that," Red began. "I was just high strung; I'd never really kill you Blue."

"I wasn't talking to you," Blue snapped.

"You're just making yourself look crazy," the voice said.

"Fine," Blue huffed. "Red could you please check the levels on the clones and make sure they're all still in the green, the readout is over there next to the holding tanks in the corner." He said pointing, his gaze still fixed on the monitor.

"Sure," Red replied walking over to the corner where several sealed metal cylinders were resting with multiple hoses protruding from the bushed steel. "You said green right?"

"Yes," Blue replied.

"Yep, they're green."

"See was that so hard?" the voice asked.

"When I finish here I'm going to drill a hole in my head and pull you out of there," Blue muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" Red asked.

"I said thank you for your help," Blue replied aligning the last molecule. "Done!" he announced leaning back in his seat.

"What are you working on?" Yellow asked leaning over his shoulder.

"The device that will fix our problems," Blue replied.

"What problems?" Red asked.

"All the problems you were having this morning."

"Oh, I'm over that," Red said with a slight laugh.

"And why is that?" Blue asked suddenly suspicious of what was occurring.

"We took those pills you gave us." Black replied.

"How many?" Blue asked as he started the workstation on manufacturing the new regulators.

"All of them," Yellow replied.

"All of them!?" Blue shouted. "I gave you enough to last a week!"

"See what happens when you don't pay attention?' the voice said.

"You shut up, that was the deal, Red checks on the levels and you shut up!" Blue said pointing a figure at an unseen being.

"Are you feeling okay?" Yellow asked.

"I'm fine," Blue snapped. "You, on the other hand I'm not so sure about."

"What do you mean?" Red asked. "I feel great."

"That's because all your senses have been impaired idiot! You took a substance that was in the experimental phase. It was supposed to be a numbing agent, but it had some unpleasant side effects, like hallucinations."

"That's why everyone we killed today melted!" Black said.

"See?" Red began. "And you just thought it was really hot."

"Wait, where were you out killing people?" Blue asked.

"Some place with really weird people," Black replied. "They were all wearing suits."

Blue quickly turned to his workstation and pulled up coordinates from their teleportation sequence. Looking over the data he realized what was going on.

"You idiots spent the whole day in Antarctica killing penguins!" Blue said.

The voice began laughing hysterically.

"So what," Red replied. "You wanted us to get out, quit bugging you, and killing something, and we did."

"That's not the point!" Blue shouted trying to talk over the laughter that was almost deafening to him. "We have a chance to go after the Rangers tomorrow and you three are a complete mess!"

The workstation toned, a screeching sound like a dying rodent, indicating that one of the devices was ready. Blue turned from the other Psychos and took the black ring from the platform which rose from the machine. Blue powered down in a shower of indigo sparks, his armor seemingly dissolving into the ground. Blue collapsed for a moment, the pain was intense. His insides felt like they were on fire, his ears rang, and his head throbbed with each pulse of his heart. Struggling to breathe Blue pulled his shirt up and pressed the ring against his Morpher, with a twist he locked it into place. In a burst of deep blue light his armor reformed.

He remained on the ground for a moment as the other Psychos watched him with a bizarre interest, no doubt viewing his actions as amusing in their altered state of consciousness. Slowly he felt his vitals returning to normal as the power from the grid flowed through him. As the pounding in his head subsided he ran a check on his power levels.

"Stable," he sighed. "And no side effects."

"Good job," the voice replied. "Now, let's go kill somebody."

Deviot stepped onto the bridge of the Dark Fortress. He was here at Astronema's invitation to discuss the coming invasion of Earth. While he did not regard Astronema highly he was glad to not be discussing the matter with Lord Zedd himself. Astronema and Ecliptor turned to face the Commander as he made his way toward the table which was projecting an image of the Earth from its black gloss surface.

"Commander Deviot, welcome," Astronema said, her tone very neutral.

"Greetings Dark Empress," Deviot replied as he came to the table.

"We shall get right to the matter," Astronema began, ignoring his use of one of her older titles. "Within the next two cycles we will be providing our operatives with the location of the Command Center. Once they have this information they will undoubtedly begin an assault against it in order to capture it. This will be aided by an operative that we have placed within the Command Center. With the Rangers sufficiently distracted by this attack the Dark Fortress will break through the planetary defense line here," she said indicating a spot where the thickest concentration of defense satellites existed. "Velocifighters will serve as our vanguard for the planetary attack this time. While not incredibly dangerous this world does possess atomic weaponry which could potentially damage a number of our lighter warships.

After the Velocifighters have eliminated the satellites the Dark Fortress will descend on the Command Center and obliterate it along with all the Rangers. Technology carried by our operatives will prevent them from teleporting out in the final moments.

While this attack is being carried out the thirty-seventh fleet will begin to deploy around the planet in standard formation. When the Velocifighters have eliminated the defenses the fleet will close in and begin cleansing the planet. Military targets have been uploaded to your fleet commanders. Do you have any questions?"

"It sounds like a standard invasion to me," Deviot replied.

"Very well," Astronema replied. "Then return to your command and make the necessary preparations. Dismissed."

Deviot bowed and turned away leaving the bridge. Ecliptor watched him leave.

"I don't trust him Empress," he said after the doors had close.

"I don't either," she agreed. "But he'll do his part for the invasion; we've already taken steps to insure it."

"It will be a glorious day for the Empire when this world is finally crushed underfoot and its people reduced to slavery." Ecliptor said as Astronema turned her gaze on the main screen starring at the spinning blue jewel that hung in the darkness.

"Yes, it certainly will be," Astronema agreed.

Kimberly was quietly watching the interaction between Ashley and Andros as she ate her breakfast. She had noticed that Ashley had been attracted to Andros since his arrival, but it seemed the two had gotten a little closer since then. She wasn't sure there were sparks between them, but they did seem to be getting along well. She regretted being so disconnected. Now that she was up while they slept it had really cut into her time to talk with Ashley, Aisha, and Shawna. While she missed practicing gymnastics with Shawna, something she had rarely had time to work on while everyone was awake, she found that she really missed talking with Ashley. She had never really thought about it when Josh was still here, but Ashley was the one she talked to about everything, and while she knew that Ashley wasn't avoiding her it was obvious that her attention was focused in a different direction at the moment.

She was happy for Ashley though, even more so if her feelings for Andros turned out to be mutual. It was nice to have a distraction from all the trouble they were facing. Not that she wanted one at the moment. Her mind was still swimming, she still hadn't come to terms with how she really felt about Josh, and wasn't ready to accept that he was gone. She knew that those issues would have to be resolved first before she could move on.

"So how much time do you think we still have before Zedd attacks?" Adam asked.

"Based on previous worlds, I'd say we have two maybe three days at the most," Trey replied.

"Is Dragon Zord ready to fight?" Jason asked.

"All systems seem to be functional," Billy said. "Though its command system is nowhere near as complex as it was."

"How do you mean?" Adam asked.

"Well the original system took input from the harmonics of the Dragon Dagger. While I no longer have the data, or the time to reverse engineer the harmonic command system, I was able to give the new Dragon Zord limited command lines so it can function autonomously."

"Didn't we have the designs for Dragon Zord in the Command Center Computer?" Jason asked.

"The designs yes," Billy began. "We don't, however, have the 'software', and I use the term loosely, that provided the harmonic command list for the armor. I can only assume these were stored in the dagger or the Morpher. So I did my best to create a new system that, like Beta, has a degree of autonomy, but will also take voice commands over the com system."

"So why is it less efficient?" Ashley asked.

"By using voice commands it now can only do basic actions. There was no way to split the Neural Command System between two Zords, the result would have been two Zords functioning improperly. When Josh used his dagger he was controlling the Zord in real-time, in a sense he was improvising the notes to control the flow of the fight. This system only allows us to give voice commands, and in real-time we just can't talk fast enough to accomplish what the old system could do. And even if I could recreate the dagger and rebuilt the harmonic system someone would have to take the time to learn how to use it, I'd have no way to incorporate it into a Morpher as infused knowledge; that level of design is beyond my skills."

"I'm sure you did your best Billy," Jason said. "The important thing is that we have the Dragon Zord back and can add its power to our own when we need it. It gives us two War Zords now and when combined with the Mega Zord the command system won't be a problem anyway."

"With all this talk about the coming fight there is something I should tell you all." Andros said; his tone was sad.

"You sure you want to do this now?" Zhane asked.

"I need to before I lose my nerve again," Andros replied.

Ashley reached over and placed her hand on his arm in a supportive gesture. Kimberly couldn't help but wonder if she already knew what was coming.

Andros looked down for a moment trying to gather his thoughts. "There is no easy way to say this," he said looking up. "But from what Trip told me, Astronema, one of Zedd's most powerful generals, is my sister Karone."

The room suddenly grew silent as all eyes were on Andros. Jason wasn't sure what to say, he had nearly killed Astronema when Trip had arrived. She had been difficult to defeat even with his increased powers which would make subduing her incredibly difficult. There was also a nagging doubt that she wasn't being controlled like Josh had been, she seemed to have chosen the path she was on.

"I'm sure you have questions about how and why, but it would be better if Trip explained those to you." Andros said seeing the stunned faces of nearly everyone present.

"Well I can tell you what we know from the historic records." Trip said. "Some of this you may have heard already, but Karone was kidnapped as a young child by a being known as Darkonda. Not much is known about Darkonda outside of his treachery and great power. He cheated death many times before being destroyed by Dark Specter, who was a being that once ruled the forces of evil, though on a lesser scale than what Lord Zedd has been able to achieve in this reality. While the details are unclear, Karone was passed on to Ecliptor, a machine designed for war and tactics. His origins are unknown. Regardless, he raised Karone giving her the name of Astronema and trained her in the ways of warfare. Eventually, under Dark Specter she led the campaign against her own home world killing many and driving the survivors into hiding on various worlds. Though how much of this remains the same in this timeline I can't say.

Now in the timeline I came from she did join the Rangers when she learned that Andros was her brother, but was eventually forced to serve Dark Specter again through the implantation of cybernetic modifications. Again, I have no way of knowing what her state of mind is in this timeline."

"I won't ask you to spare her," Andros choked out trying to keep his emotions in check.

Ashley put a hand on his shoulder; Zhane placed his hand on the opposite shoulder.

"I know what she is now, and I know we can't afford to risk our lives to capture her." He paused for a moment. "So I'm only asking that if there is an opportunity, please let me try to speak with her."  
Jason rose from the table, gathering his thoughts for a moment. "I promise you, to whatever extent we are able, we will try and get her back,"

"Thank you," Andros replied quietly, his eyes moistening. "If you'll excuse me for a minute?"

"Do you want some company?' Ashley asked softly.

"Yeah," he said glancing at Ashley and then over at Zhane.

The three of them rose and left the main chamber exiting the Command Center.

"This complicates things," Trey said.

"Things are complicated enough," Jason said sitting back down. "This is just another drop in the bucket."

"So how are we going to handle this?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Jason replied. "But I made him a promise, and I intend to keep it."

Andros paced the walkway in front of the Command Center. Ashley and Zhane stood back giving him a moment to collect himself. It was a clear night; the first stars were out, with more appearing. The moon was over half full bathing the landscape in a subtle white light.

"I'm just not sure what to do," Andros said. "I'm not sure we can save her."

"We can't start thinking like that," Ashley protested. "You can't give up without even trying."

"She's destroyed countless worlds," Andros sighed. "She's the one who created those abominations that are after you, only this time she didn't have to be cybernetically augmented to come up with them."

"There's still hope though," Ashley said walking toward him. "Jason already gave his life once to save someone from Zedd's control, and he's willing to do it again."

"While I appreciate that," Andros said looking into Ashley's eyes. "I have enough blood on my conscience. I don't want anyone else to die for this. She's my sister, I should be the one to find her and face her."

Ashley sighed for a moment shaking her head. "You sound just like him."

"Who?" Andros asked.

"Joshua Raine," she replied biting her lower lip. "He always did things the hard way, kept people at arm's length."

"From what I've heard it sounds like he was right to do it otherwise more people could have died when he stopped Serpentera."

"Or maybe, if he had help he would have lived," she considered her words carefully. "But, he didn't have time to consider that, you do."

"I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt." Andros replied looking out toward the skies.

"If you don't come back people are going to be hurt," Ashley replied. "Zhane will lose his best friend."

"It's true," Zhane said taking a moment to be serious. "You've always been like a brother to me,"

Andros was silent.

"And…" she paused for a moment giving careful thought to what she was about to say. "I'd miss you."

Andros turned to face her. Ashley's eyes were lightly glistening in the pale moonlight as they met with Andros' brown eyes. Andros reached out and placed a hand on her cheek brushing aside her hair as he stepped closer to her. Ashley trembled slightly as Andros looked deep into her eyes, their faces inches apart.

"I don't want to lose you," she said.

"You won't," Andros whispered as he leaned in.

Ashley's eyes slipped closed as Andros' lips tenderly caressed hers. Her arms slid up around him as they held each other for a moment.

"I'm still here," Zhane interrupted.

Ashley and Andros stepped back, both smiling and a little embarrassed.

"Should I leave?" Zhane asked.

"No," Andros replied with a smile, before looking at Ashley asking the same question with his eyes. She shook her head in response. "No, you can stay."

"I think what Ashley is saying is that if you're going to get your sister back then we're coming with you."

"Thanks," Andros said taking hold of Ashley's hand as the couple walked over to Zhane.

"So what's the plan?" Ashley asked still feeling a little excited.

"I say we hit the Dark Fortress and kidnap her," Zhane said.

"Are you kidding me?" Andros replied.

"No, I think we could do it, if we go in on our gliders they might not detect us. Then we get in through one of the airlocks and make our way to the bridge grab your sister and escape. Simple."

"I think we need to refine it a little," Ashley said. "But I know the others managed to break into the Dark Fortress early on to disable its long range communications. We could always talk to Billy, he might have some ideas."

"Okay, but slow down," Andros said. "Let's take tonight to plan; we can make our move tomorrow. Zedd's forces are still preparing for the attack so their attention will be divided, and we can use that to slip in."

"What is he up to?" the voice asked.

"I thought you were going to shut up," Blue replied looking over the visual data.

"What are they building?"

"One more word out of you and I am going to shoot you." Blue hissed.

"That could have serious repercussions for you." The voice said.

Blue suddenly grabbed his blaster and fired a bolt into his own head. The plasma discharged against his helmet burning part way through the armor and superheating a section of the helmet burning his skin underneath.

"You shot me!" the voice said in astonishment.

"Yes, now shut up or I'll do it again. I'm trying to concentrate."

"Hey Blue?" a voice came from behind him.

"I warned you!" Blue exclaimed grabbing his weapon putting it to his head.

"It wasn't me," the voice said in a panic.

Blue turned in his chair. Yellow was standing before him. Despite having the new regulator installed she looked like she was barely able to stand.

"What is it?" Blue asked lowering the gun.

"I don't feel good," she said collapsing on the ground.

Blue leaned in checking her vitals using the armor's systems. As he had thought, her body was suffering the effects of overdose from his medication. Glancing around the room he could see that Red and Black were also slumped over, probably unconscious as well. While the overdose wasn't fatal, it was going to take time for them to recover, and time was not on their side at the moment. The General was up to something, which meant it was approaching the time to act; he needed the others up and functioning.

"Maybe a shot of adrenaline would help?" the voice suggested.

"That may be the first intelligent thing you've ever said."

"I'm just focused on the plan. Someone has to; you're losing your mind."

Blue ignored the voice and began sending commands to the other Psycho's armor to monitor their vitals and administer a shot of adrenaline every hour until their vitals returned to normal. With that completed he thought it best to see what the General was up to first hand. In a blaze of light he vanished from the chamber.

As he materialized in the desert he suddenly realized he was at the former site of Area Fifty-One. He engaged his optical camouflage, fading from sight before he was discovered. Soldiers were hard at work moving equipment around, Blue mused as they appeared like ants the way they scurried about. However, he had more important things to take care of, he needed to find Hamren and discover what the General was up to. Moving quietly he slipped through the site pausing only briefly to observe the construction of a series of metal rings being assembled in a recently dug hole.

"Interesting," the voice said.

Blue ignored it and continued to move. On the outskirts of the area a series of tents had been erected, apparently as a temporary command post. One by one Blue began to check them phasing through the outer canvas. After a few tries he located one that looked promising. A table was set up with a map of the area. Several small objects were on the map, five were markers in the same colors as the Rangers.

Blue began to rummage around searching for anything that might clue him into the General's plan. It didn't appear that Hamren kept anything here; he would have to locate the General's tent. Phasing back out Blue continued his search. Finally he located the General. Hamren was asleep on a cot inside his tent. Looking around Blue spotted several folders on a small table in the corner. Taking the file on top he began to flip through the contents assimilating the data into his memory quickly. Finishing with the first he took the next file in the stack and began to peruse its contents as well. A grin spread over his face as the implications of the data he had found became clear. Taking the third file he knew that it was finally time for his plan to come to fruition.

"What?" The voice asked sensing Blue's excitement. "What does it say?"

Blue quietly put the files down as he had found them and stepped from the tent.

"Come on tell me," the voice insisted.

"It's finally time." Blue replied. "We need the other Psycho Rangers."

In a streak of blue so dark it would go unnoticed in the night Blue vanished.

Jason sat at Billy's workstation looking over the information they had on the Dark Fortress. Ashley had come to him with a plan to allow her, Andros, and Zhane to launch a covert mission against the Dark Fortress to try and capture Karone. While Jason understood Andros' need to try, the plan had sounded dangerous, not that staying and awaiting Zedd's attack made them any safer. However, rather than turn down the idea he had decided to look into it and let them know in the morning since they had no intent of leaving immediately. From what he was looking at though the Dark Fortress certainly lived up to its name. The entire structure was lined with weapon batteries and launch bays for Velocifighters, and the section that Andros and Zhane would have to reach was in the center of the vessel located about three quarters of the way to the top.

All the obvious routes to the bridge were heavily guarded with multiple security points and hallways with reinforced bulkheads. If they were detected the entire structure could be locked down in moments and there would be no escape. The ventilation systems had even been upgraded according to the most recent file; apparently the weakness Josh had exploited had been noticed by Astronema and dealt with. All major junctions were now equipped with shield generators. While these were lower in power than those that might be present elsewhere they were certainly more than enough to restrict anyone moving through them. With a sigh Jason leaned back in the chair rubbing his eyes.

"How's it look?" Kimberly asked coming over already knowing the answer.

"I don't see how it can be done," Jason said. "Every way in is heavily guarded. I know I got in once, but there were some strange circumstances surrounding that, and once inside it was a constant battle up until I left."

"But you prevailed?" Trey said taking an interest in the conversation.

"Yeah,"

"Do you think Andros' determination is any less to succeed?" Trey asked.

"He may even be more determined," Jason admitted.

"Then you should let him go," Trey replied. "There are few obstacles that can not be over come by sheer force of will. If he is determined to rescue his sister he will succeed, one way or another, even if the outcome isn't perfect."

"That's what concerns me," Jason said.

"Hey, why's everyone so serious?" Zhane asked coming over.

"We're talking about your plan to rescue Karone," Kimberly said.

"I know it's a long shot," Zhane said transitioning into one of his rare serious moments. "But Andros needs to do this. He grew up wondering what had happened to his sister, never knowing if she was alive or not, never having even a trail to follow. Do you know what it's like having no way of discovering if someone you love is dead or alive, or even finding a clue as to what happened to them?"

"Yeah," Kimberly said quietly.

"I do get it," Jason said. "I really do, I'm just concerned about his safety as well as yours."

"He's going to go with or without your help, you know that right?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah," Jason said turning off the workstation monitor. "I know."

"Wake up!" Blue shouted shaking Red violently.

Psycho Red flopped around like a rag doll as Blue continued his efforts to rouse him. He could see that his vitals were stable now, but for reason's unknown to him he was in a deep state of unconsciousness, almost at a comatose level. Dropping Red he took hold of Black and began to scream in his face rattling his head in a way that would have broken the neck of most living things. Finding himself unable to awaken Black Blue dropped him to the ground with a thud.

Stepping back from the pile of Psychos on the floor Blue began to contemplate how to wake them. Somehow he had to bring them around, time was short; they had less than eight hours until the General's plan would be executed.

"So now what?' The voice asked.

"Don't talk to me unless you have a plan," Blue replied. "You make it hard to concentrate."

Blue knew they had burned off most of the drug by now, but why they were unconscious was a mystery; unless they had entered a regeneration cycle to root out the rest of the chemical from their system. There was no way to determine how long that could take. He could concoct a neural stimulant, but that had potentially damaging ramifications on its own.

Blue walked over to the metal cylinders in the corner. The clones had reached maturation. Inside each tube was a genetic double of each Ranger. While not perfect, once their bodies were mangled it would be hard to verify any real differences. All they needed was a moment to pull the switch, the teleportation system was ready; the replication system was set to duplicate their attire.

"But none of that will do us any good if you keep sleeping!" Blue shouted at the pile of Psychos.

"Have you tried kicking them?" the voice suggested.

"Yes," Blue said. "That was the first thing I tried remember?"

"Oh yes," the voice replied with a sense of amusement. "Maybe you need to kick them harder."

"I think I'm going to try my neural stimulant first. If that doesn't work we'll go with your plan."

"Why is it that we always do things your way?"

"Because I'm the one who controls the body," Blue replied.

Blue took a seat at the workstation and began building a molecule that would induce a higher level of neural activity. His mind raced through a list of neural chemicals, many of which he had recently discovered upon opening the heads of his unwilling test subjects. Science would go so much further if people weren't so concerned about the consequences. Now those people on the Manhattan Project, those had been some committed scientist. They conceded that the resulting atomic chain reaction might be unstoppable, consuming the entire planet and ending all life, and they had done it anyway. That was science, results at any cost! He often wondered what had turned people into the weak minded whiners he had encountered so often. It didn't matter right now.

"I think that will give them a migraine," the voice said apparently looking over the data Blue was entering.

"That doesn't concern me," Blue replied. "I just want them awake; they can take some aspirin for the migraine."

"Do you want Red in another one of his foul moods?"

"Better awake and angry than unconscious, now quit bugging me, I'm considering my options."

Blue continued to manipulate the molecular structure as a timer in the corner of his HUD was counting down to zero.

General Hamren was looking over the results of the labor that had been going on through the night. The rings for the electromagnetic disruptor had been buried and the earth packed down. Soldiers were currently scattering dirt and rocks at random giving the terrain a natural look. The device was designed to interrupt the Ranger's power by scrambling the energy field that the scientists had recently discovered. In the event that failed, several teams were standing by with a powerful new adhesive agent.

Originally developed to immobilize tanks, the chemical was a liquid metal that expanded and crystallized when oxidized. The General hoped that it would be able to stop the Rangers, or at least slow them down. Its conductive properties would also allow his men to deliver a high voltage charge directly to the Rangers via the high powered tasers. The tripod mounted weapons where attached to a bank of capacitors holding more power than a lighting bolt. Hopefully it would be sufficient to burn through their armor.

Other men were currently burying the cables that would attach to his decoy Rangers to pull them clear before the operation commenced. The primary plan had been simple enough. Using the UN's communications equipment he would transmit a message to the Rangers concerning an attack on Area Fifty-one by the alleged imposters giving them an opportunity to prove their innocence. When they arrived the disruptors would be activated to hinder their ability to teleport. The Rangers would likely discover their 'evil twins' in mere moments and move to engage them. Once they were within the target area the high-powered wench would activate and the cables would quickly drag his men clear leaving them free to attack. With any luck the Rangers would be destroyed leaving his division free to take their technology.

Hamren smiled as the sun began to rise over the horizon, in a few short hours they would be ready.

"So did you come to a decision?" Andros asked sitting down to breakfast.

"I did," Jason replied. "You know this is going to be dangerous. None of us could find a simply way to get to the bridge once you're inside the Dark Fortress. It will be a constant fight through several security checkpoints. Circuit and Beta both ran statistical analysis on it and your chances of succeeding are less than five percent, and the chances of your survival decrease rapidly the longer you are inside."

"But…" Ashley began to interrupt.

Jason held his hand up indicating he wasn't finished. "However, I realize how important this is to you. While I don't think it's wise tactically, I've decided that if you're determined to do this we'll give you as much support as we can."

"Thank you," Andros said with a relieved smile.

"The trick is going to be getting through the shields," Billy said pouring some cereal into his bowl.

"That won't be a problem," Zhane said. "We have some well tested methods for that."

"Oh?" Billy replied very interested.

"They're called phase oscillators," Andros said. "They're built into the gliders. They harmonize with the shield frequency and project a matching field that allows you to slowly pass through most energy shields."

"Most?" Jason asked.

"In cases where more advanced shielding is used it can have trouble adapting to multiple shield harmonics."

"If you have this technology, why not equip weapons with it?" Adam asked.

"Because the object has to pass through the shield very slowly," Zhane replied. "Any projectile fired would effectively need retro-thrusters to slow down enough to have a chance at survival, and then the craft's defensive weapons would easily be able to destroy it."

"I do have one request though," Jason said.

"And that would be?" Andros asked.

"If things look like you won't succeed please fallback."

"I'll try and do that," Andros replied.

"And if he forgets I can always drag him out," Zhane said with a smile.

"Incoming transmission," Beta announced interrupting the current conversation.

"Play audio," Billy said.

"Power Rangers, this is General Hamren of the United States Armed Forces. At nine thirty-six today five individuals fitting your description attacked Area Fifty-one. Our forces are doing their best to hold out, but we are being quickly overwhelmed, if you want to prove your innocence please hurry."

"Transmission ended." Beta said.

"Let's go guys," Jason said quickly getting up from the table.

"Does that feel secure?" the soldier asked as he tugged on the cable to the Black Ranger's belt.

"I think I'm good," Black replied cracking his neck. "Just looking forward to getting this done.

"I know what you mean," the soldier replied beginning to vacate the target area. "Good luck."

"This better work," Red muttered to Blue. "My head is still killing me."

"Did you want me to leave you unconscious?" Blue asked. "This is our last and best chance to get the Rangers without having suspicion drawn to us."

"I told you he'd be grouchy," the voice replied.

"Not now," Blue muttered.

"What was that?" Red asked.

"Nothing," Blue replied. "Just thinking out loud."

While Blue had managed to revive the other Psychos it had not been the best of scenarios. The stimulant had caused a storm of neural activity leaving the other Psychos with severe migraines and clouded thoughts. While they had slowly gotten better as the stimulant wore off and the medication took effect, they were now out of time. Even if they weren't at one hundred percent he would have to make due.

At least taking the places of Hamren's men had been easy enough. Once again however, he had been forced to use a clone of Pink. He had contemplated placing the Kimberly clone inside the armor, but he couldn't risk her being destroyed before they had a chance to implement his plan.

"The transmission has been sent," Hamren announced over the radio. "Everyone to your positions and wait for the signal. Alpha team, are you ready?"

"We're good here sir," Blue replied.

Silence fell over the landscape as all traces of the military's presence was concealed. Hundreds of soldiers were present and aircraft were already airborne, located several clicks out. Charred dummies had been placed around the entrance to the base. The main gate left smashed open from the previous attack. The guard station had been rebuilt only to be set fire to completing the illusion. While Blue was curious what had destroyed the base the first time he did not have time to investigate.

Blue suddenly detected the incoming power signatures moments before he saw the blaze of colors descend onto the desert floor about four meters from their location. He counted ten in all.

"This is going to be good," Blue said grinning.

The Rangers materialized on the sands in front of the Psychos. Red smiled seeing that they had three Red Rangers, the pain he was in suddenly forgotten. He stepped forward and raised his hand up beckoning to the Rangers.

"Bring it on," he said as the frame of his helmet separated in a wide smile of razor-like fangs.

"There are more than anticipated sir," One of the men said quietly over the radio.

"Hold to the plan," Hamren said calmly though his heart was racing.

In a blaze of energy weapons manifest as the line of Rangers began to charge forward, the Psychos manifesting their own weapons in flashes of dark light; each one a twisted jagged black version of their counterpart's weapon.

"What was that?" one of the men asked over the radio.

"I don't know," the General replied. "But we're going on my mark."

The Rangers reached the Psychos as their weapons clashed with a violent discharge.

"Now!" Hamren shouted over the radio.

The Rangers suddenly froze as cables snapped taunt and the Psychos flew back at an incredible speed. The air suddenly began to ionize around them. Time slowed to a crawl as the first crackle of energy leapt from the ground beneath their feet.


	16. Chapter 16

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-16-

The air around the Rangers began to warp as the intense magnetic fields flooded over them; their armor sparking in places as the energy caused minor destabilization. While the damage to their armor was minor the magnetic fields were wreaking havoc with their sensors leaving them effectively blind and disoriented.

Billy was cycling through various modes of input trying to get a visual. Trying to communicate with the others was futile as the ionized air was being thrust up preventing it from carrying vibrations. In addition the fields had neutralized their com system.

Hamren watched as the Rangers sat helpless. He was disappointed that the magnetic disruptor had not performed as he had hoped, but at least he had a backup plan.

"Bravo team, go!" he ordered over the radio, the crackle of static affecting their own equipment.

"Copy, Bravo is go." Came the reply.

From concealed positions encircling the target area men rose from the sand. Each was holding a weapon that resembled a flamethrower with tubing running to a small tank carried on the back. In successive bursts streams of silver liquid sprayed over the Rangers sticking to their armor and foaming up. The attack came so quickly and was so subtle that the Rangers had no opportunity to react as the liquid impacting their armor was hardly noticeable.

Jason began to realize they were being immobilized. He tried to grab for his blaster, but found that it had already been bonded under a hard, thick substance.

The Psychos stood off to the side watching Hamren's plan unfold with delight.

"Well it looks like you pulled it off," Red said forgetting about the all the time spent reaching this point.

"Yeah good job," Yellow said with a sadistic grin. "I can't wait to open my Ranger up."

"Delta team, go!" Hamren ordered.

"Copy, Delta go."

"Uh oh," Blue said.

"What do you mean uh oh?" Red said looking around frantically.

From raised positions false stone structures fell away revealing three tripod turrets with weapons that looked like harpoon launchers, each one having multiple prongs. Red's HUD immediately alerted him to the high voltage potential of each of the weapons.

"No!" Red shouted pulling his blaster and discharging a bolt through the nearest turret. "Those are my Red Rangers!"

"Stop!" Blue shouted at Red.

"I knew this was going to happen," the voice muttered.

Black and Yellow weren't quiet sure what was going on, but felt Red had the better solution and each unleashed a shot into the other turrets. The high voltage weapons sparked and exploded as the electricity was discharged into the weapon housing and leapt out burning through the team of soldiers manning each weapon as the electron stream sought ground.

"All units, execute the Rangers!" Hamren ordered fearful that there were more Rangers helping their friends.

"Time to kill," Red commanded.

Blue sighed, this was not how he had planned it, but for now he would have to hope to find a way to salvage something from Red's recklessness. The Psychos all charged in opening fire with their blasters as soldiers rose from the sand firing on the immobilized Rangers.

Everything fell into a state of chaos as the soldiers suddenly realized that they were under attack from another source as the hail of plasma bolts cut through their ranks in seconds, the rapid dispersal of fire leaving men on the ground in agony as limbs were shot off haphazardly, the Psychos usual efficiency lost. While their skills were blunted slightly from the rampant neural activity, the real problem was the disruption field that had neutralized the Ranger's armor was now affecting their own systems distorting their vision and throwing off their targeting.

"This is not working," Red said in frustration as he holstered his blaster and manifested his sword.

The weapon was a long sword like Jason's, but the blade was covered in twisting claws. The weapon was not crafted for elegant combat; it had been designed to rip flesh from the body with each swipe. In a blaze of red light the Psycho Ranger flew forward tearing an arc through the first soldier he met sending a spray of blood and viscera into the sky as the weapon cleaved up through his chest and out the top of his skull.

"Blue, get that field shut down!" Red ordered.

Yellow and Black followed Red's example and manifested their weapons as well. The blades of each were like Red's. Yellow also possessed a small curved blade at the base of the hilt of each of her daggers, which she used to slit a soldier's throat casually as she raced passed him before plunging the main blades into the chest of another and ripping outward. Black's axe had spear tips on both sides of the shaft giving him the option of stabbing a victim instead of cleaving them in two with the gnarled blade that sat at the head of his weapon.

"Sir, we need to fallback!" one of the soldiers shouted over the com before the radio went silent.

Hamren sat still for a moment contemplating his options. Something had gone horribly wrong. Were these the imposters the other Rangers had mentioned? If so why were they helping the Rangers now?

"Sir!?" one of the officers near him shouted.

Hamren looked at him.

"We need to pull out."

"Very well," Hamren conceded with a sigh. "Issue the fall back order, bomb the target area, maybe we can still salvage something."

Blue plunged his hand under the ground taking hold of the cable that was supplying power to the disruptor. Finding it inflexible he manifest his lances, the ends of which appeared more like a dual bladed axe head with a serrated sword blade between them; each blade a twisted mass of clawed metal. With a quick spin Blue thrust the weapon through the sand and into the power cable tearing it in half. There was a discharge of sparks as the sand was heated by the arcing electricity, the distortion in their visual sensors clearing immediately.

"Much better," Red said pulling his blaster from the holster with his free hand.

With his senses restored Red began to place bolt after bolt into the backs of the fleeing soldiers. Each shot hit center burning through the spinal column and vaporizing the hearts and damaging the lungs. The sense of overkill was not lost on Red. Black dropped the last soldier within visual range, the shot bursting through the neck completely severing the head from the body.

"Nice," Yellow said.

"Time to get my prize," Black smiled as he turned back toward the Rangers.

"Can anyone move?" Jason asked trying to turn his head, but finding himself nearly frozen solid by the silver foam.

"Not enough to do anything," Trey replied.

"We have trouble," Billy said noticing the Psycho Rangers moving toward them. He tried his com link. "Beta, Circuit, do you read?"

"Ne've v' 'ot rec'zed'" came the reply.

"They're jamming the com again," Billy said. "Probably the teleportation system too."

"So we finally have time to get to know each other." Red said raising his arms as if excited. "I have to admit I began to wonder if we would ever reach this point."

"I told you it would work," Blue said.

"It almost didn't," Red snapped. "Those army freaks almost killed them."

"Let's not get upset," Blue said. "We have them all now and a fairly good alibi, let's just take them and go,"

"You're right," Red began.

He was unable to finish his statement as the ground all around them erupted in fire as several aircraft raced overhead unleashing a hail of bombs covering the field below in a carpet of flame. Blue cursed himself for not noticing their approach; he had allowed himself to get distracted.

"Great," the voice chided him. "You better hope they survived."

The Psychos were tossed onto the ground as the flames burned over them and the concussive force of the blasts pounded against their armored shells. As the bombing ended Blue pulled himself to his feet. As he looked around for any signs of the Rangers a fist leapt from the fire and hit him square in the jaw sending him stumbling back. As the other Psycho Rangers formed up on his position Jason stepped toward them, his armor had advanced to its higher state, the gold shining brilliantly in the flames. The other Rangers stepped forward through the fire to face the four Psycho Rangers, the Psychos false skin melting away in the fire.

"Let's see how well you do when you have to fight fair," Jason said.

"Either way it's your funeral." Red replied with a wide grin as the Rangers spread out.

Jason, Andros, and Tommy moved to face Red, Zhane and Ashley moved to take Yellow, Adam and Trey faced off against Black, and Billy, Trip, and Kimberly moved against Blue. There was a moment of tension as the Rangers walked in circles trying to get a feel for each of the Psychos. It was likely that each fought in the style of the Ranger they had been modeled after, but on a much higher level of skill.

Red launched himself at the three Rangers directing his sword at Jason. Jason manifested his own sword, the blade splitting open as the main blade formed. Andros and Tommy both stepped in, their swords crossing in front of Jason, catching Red's attack. With a quick sidestep Red avoided Jason's counterstrike as the ornate sword was thrust forward under the crossed blades. Red launched a quick roundhouse hitting Tommy in the side and sending the Quantum Ranger to the ground.

Andros moved forward slashing at Red, but the Psycho ducked under it and lashed out with a sweep. Andros managed to launch from the ground flipping over Red as Jason charged forward. Red flipped to one side as Andros landed and swung at Red, both swords cleaved through the air where he had been standing. As Red landed a bolt grazed his shoulder leaving a black scar where the plasma had discharged. He looked to see Tommy crouched on the ground as several more shots flew his direction.

"Blasters are useless against them," Jason said as Red rolled to the side.

Tommy leapt to his feet transforming his Quantum Defender back to sword mode. Red pulled his own blaster and fired several shots in a wide dispersal at the three Rangers. Shots deflected off Jason's golden armor sending the bolts in random directions. Andros and Tommy both dodged aside, but a single shot caught Andros in the shoulder. He dropped to a knee clutching at the wound.

Seeing the moment of weakness Red moved in with a wild slash. Andros brought up his saber to block as Jason and Tommy rushed in to help. Red's blade managed to push Andros' saber back enough to cut into his helmet. Jason ran in from the side attempting to slam his shoulder into Red, but the Psycho stepped back slashing at Jason's exposed back as he passed, the blade sparking against the golden armor.

Jason stumbled as he saw Tommy coming from the other direction, the two managing to rotate fast enough to slide past one another. Andros rose to his feet. A jagged cut ran partway down the left side of his helmet from the top to the upper part of the visor.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Andros replied as the three prepared for their next move.

Kimberly fired a burst of arrows at Blue while Trip and Billy rushed him from opposite sides. Blue was quick to deflect the arrows with a timely twirl of his lance. Stepping out to his left he swung at Billy, their lances meeting with a spark of coruscating energy. With a hard push Blue forced Billy off balance and spun his lance around behind his back in time to block Trip's strike from his Chrono Saber. Blue slammed the saber into the ground with one end and began to bring the other end of his lance around to strike Trip, but caught a glimmer from the corner of his eye as Kimberly unleashed another volley of magenta bolts. Blue spun throwing a kick into Trip's head, planting his face into the ground. Coming around he deflected the shots, only to find Billy's lance flying at him.

Blue stepped to one side avoiding the full force of the blow, but the weapon ripped down the right side of his chest scarring the black surface, though it failed to penetrate the hardened plate. Blue swung his weapon around in an attempt to cleave through Billy's head, but Billy blocked the attack, however the strength of the attack knocked him off balance. Blue moved to take advantage of this moment of unbalance, but another pink bolt flew past his head missing his face by centimeters. This was getting old.

Blue suddenly flew at Kimberly, his movements becoming a blur of blue energy as he closed the gap between them. Kimberly stepped back as the lance flew at her in an arc. The weapon missed her, but cleaved through her bow, her weapon dematerializing in an explosion of pink fragments.

"No more distractions." Blue said pulling his pistol.

Kimberly cartwheeled to one side as Blue fired. The shots soared around her, her enhanced senses barely allowing her to keep ahead of them. The shots suddenly halted as Billy slammed his lance down on the blaster knocking it from Blue's hand. Blue turned to face Billy only to catch a glimpse of Trip behind him, the image reflected in Billy's visor. Dropping into a split leg position Blue thrust his lance above his head blocking Trip's attack.

Suddenly Blue brought his lance down as his body twisted and rotated inverting his position. With a rapid twist from his handstand stance Blue threw a kick into the chest of the two Rangers sending them staggering back as he righted himself. Trip and Billy circled around Blue as Kimberly stepped back.

Zhane rushed in before Ashley or Yellow could even react. His blade swung down on the Psycho attempting to finish her in a single blow. Yellow welcomed his strike and brought her daggers up with full force. As the strikes met Zhane was knocked back as Yellow's attack pushed his sword over his head. The two tumbled to the ground as Yellow head butted Zhane, causing his armor to crack slightly around the visor. Ashley moved in trying to find an opening to assist Zhane.

As the two wrestled on the ground, one of Yellow's blades grazed Zhane's arm cutting into his armor and slitting his flesh. The smell of fresh blood filled the air and Yellow was momentarily euphoric. Zhane managed to brace his free arm between them and push back giving him enough space to pull his legs in. With a hard thrust he flung Yellow up in the air as he rolled free. Ashley took advantage of this moment and leapt at Yellow slashing at her undefended side. Yellow brought her gauntlet around blocking one of the daggers; the other scratched the thick black plate on the side of her abdomen.

Yellow landed on her feet and quickly executed a spinning sweep knocking Ashley from her feet. In an instant Yellow had leapt at the prone Ranger bringing one of her daggers back as she prepared to strike. As the blow fell Zhane stepped in slashing at Yellow from behind. His silver blade carving a deeper gash into the rear armor, but still seemingly unable to pierce it. Ashley dropped her daggers and caught Yellow's arm, placing a foot in her chest she threw the Psycho Ranger over her. Yellow dove and rolled returning to her feet. Ashley quickly recovered her daggers and leapt up ready to fight.

Yellow launched her daggers at both of them as she charged Ashley. A crack was heard as the weapons broke the sound barrier. Zhane managed to react in time, bringing the side of his gun-saber to block the shot, the blade sunk in disabling the firearm component. Ashley fell over backward planting her hands as the dagger zipped over her chest. As she reached an inverted position Yellow slammed a fist into her lower back causing her body to buckle and fly back, flipping over as she plowed into the ground. Zhane rushed in attempting to slash at Yellow, but the Psycho Ranger blocked his strike using her arm gauntlet before slamming a palm into Zhane's chest. Zhane gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. With a spinning crescent kick Yellow slammed her foot into his head and sent him to the ground, the charred glass surface shattering as a spray of sand was thrown into the air.

Trey unleashed several spinning orbs of golden energy from his staff. Despite Black's attempt to dodge the burning spheres tracked his movement following after him and impacting on his armor discharging a torrent of energy over its surface. While these ionic plasma spheres were effective weapons against the Machine Empire, generally destroying even the toughest circuitry, they seemed to do little against the toughened armor of the Psycho Ranger.

Black held his axe out sideways, in a blaze of black light the shaft of the weapon extended, the spear head at the base fanning out into a sphere of jagged blades not unlike a mace. With a sudden burst of speed he rushed Adam, the Black Ranger only having enough time to fall to the ground before the axe blade tore through the air. Trey stepped to strike at Black, but the Psycho Ranger brought the end of the axe shaft around smashing the bladed mace into the golden armor on Trey's chest. There was a burst of sparks as Trey was knocked back by the force, but was otherwise unhurt.

Adam rolled to the side and leapt to his feet swinging his axe down on Black. Black brought the shaft of his axe up and blocked it as Trey swept his legs out from the back. Unprepared for the attack Black toppled over backward landing on his back as Adam fell on him, taking a knee as he brought the axe down, the shaft of Black's weapon the only thing between Adam's blade and Black's chest. Trey moved in thrusting the spear tip toward Black's head, the shaft of his staff extending to its full length. Black moved his head aside, the tip barely missing anything vital as the blade grazed the armor on his neck and plunged into the ground.

Black pushed off Adam's blade throwing the Ranger at Trey as Black rolled in the opposite direction, his axe shaft shrinking for a moment. As Black jumped to his feet his weapon grew to its former length as he lashed out, holding it near the base, swinging it out in a wide arc. Adam dove under it closing the distance between himself and Black. Trey planted his feet and thrust his staff forward pressing against the shaft of the axe just below the curved blade.

Adam leapt up and swung his axe into Black's chest. The Psycho Ranger tried to pull his weapon back to block, but Trey slid his shaft up the axe catching the back of the axe head making it impossible.

Adam's axe made contact cleaving into the side of Black's chest. Black grimaced as the blade cut through the armor and sunk into his flesh and cutting into his ribs. Black released his grip on his axe and took hold of Adam's with one hand and punched the Black Ranger in the face with the other. Adam lost his weapon as he slid back along the sandy ground. Black wretched the weapon from his side, a viscous black foam sealing over the wound.

Trey rushed in launching several more ionic plasma orbs at Black, the flash bang effect temporarily disorienting the Psycho Ranger as Trey brought the head of the staff down on Black's head knocking him to the ground. As he fell Black released the axe and pulled his pistol firing a single bolt into Trey's abdomen below his gold shielding. The shot burned through the armor and singed the skin beneath. Trey screamed as the bolt seared his flesh, his Ranger Armor only stopping the wound from being fatal. Adam's axe fell to the ground beside Trey.

Black turned to one side and threw a kick into Trey's abdomen placing his heel into the wound. Trey screamed again as he fell back collapsing on the ground. Adam rushed in delivering a sliding kick to Black's chest as he retrieved his weapon from the ground. Using the momentum Adam swung the axe in a wide arc bringing it down on Black, but the Psycho Ranger brought his arm up blocking the blow with his gauntlet. Black arced his leg around, kicking Adam in the head knocking him away. Black rose summoning his axe to him, the weapon leapt from the ground and flew at him rotating rapidly. With no effort Black reached forth and caught the weapon with a single hand. Adam moved to regroup with Trey.

"Are you alright?" Adam asked.

"I'll be fine," Trey said through gritted teeth. "It's not fatal, it merely hurts."

Billy and Trip moved in again to attack Blue while Kimberly held back. Billy attacked from above while Trip came in low, but Blue positioned his lance vertically catching both their attacks before rotating his weapon throwing the two back. Trip dove to the ground rolling behind Blue as Billy flipped to one side. Blue slashed out at Billy who then flipped over the attack bringing him on the opposite side of Blue from Trip.

"Clever," Blue said.

With a sudden flurry of motion Blue twirled his staff around his body, the tips clearing a wide circle around him. With two quick movements he stabbed his lance at Trip before turning his head and sending the other end back at Billy. Trip dodged to one side avoiding the strike. Billy had begun to move toward Blue when he saw the lance strike coming. He twisted his body, the edge of the lance cutting through the armor on his stomach grazing his flesh. A small amount of blood seeped from the cut glistening on the blue armor, but Psycho Blue was concerned about another small matter; it seemed the Pink Ranger had vanished. Where could she have gotten to? Had she gone to help one of the other groups?

Blue was snapped from his thoughts as Trip swung at him with his saber forcing Blue to bring his lance around to block. There was a sudden twinge as Billy slashed his lance across Blue's back cutting through the armor drawing a small bead of black blood. Blue twisted the shaft of his lance separating it into two pieces, thrusting one behind him while he spun the other knocking Trip's saber aside. Billy stepped back to avoid the strike as Blue rotated to face him, throwing a back kick into Trip's chest.

Trip was knocked back as Blue brought the two pieces of his lance together making the weapon whole once more and swinging them in a figure eight as he walked toward Billy. Billy stepped in matching him move for more, the blades of their lances sparking as they glanced off each other. Without warning Blue suddenly changed the rotation of his spin, somehow redirecting all the momentum he had acquired into a single elegant strike, wrenching Billy's arms as his own strike was also reversed. Blue proceeded to hit Billy's lance knocking his hands and weapon up before brining the other end down on it cleaving through the weapon and destroying it in a spray of blue light.

Billy stepped back as Blue thrust his lance toward Billy's chest, the tip just puncturing the front of the armor below the emblem. Trip rushed in slashing his saber across Blue's back, the weapon cutting in, but failing to pierce the armor. Blue turned and slashed at Trip with his full strength. Trip brought his saber up to block, the lance clashing with Trip's saber, knocking it down as the blade sunk shallowly in the side of Trip's helmet.

Suddenly Blue heard something, a sound that he was unfamiliar with. As he turned he saw a black object racing toward him at a high speed. Some form of bike, the Pink Ranger was piloting it. She must have gotten outside the range of the jammers. Billy took advantage of the momentary distraction and took hold of Blue's staff kicking the Psycho Ranger full force in the chest. Blue lurched in the air, but his grip on his weapon remained firm.

As Blue landed Kimberly skidded to a stop as the bike twisted around her forming into a second suit of armor. Blue watched the events unfold as time slowed. The left arm came up as twin arcs shot from the side and a whirling noise began to grow in intensity. Almost at the same time, using his internal sensors, he could sense objects at a high altitude falling fast.

"This is going to be bad," the voice muttered.

Blue released his grip on the lance and dove aside as a firestorm of magenta arrows ripped through the air. Raining from the skies above tiny darts fell to the ground in a wide perimeter around them; the explosions only audible to Blue's enhanced hearing. The system was one that Billy had designed a few days ago. After a loss of communication was established a timer began to countdown before deploying a series of guided bomb via the teleporter above the target area. Each bomb locked onto the source of the jamming equipment using the relative distortion as a guide. Blue cursed under his breath as his sensors indicated that the only jamming devices that remained were on their gauntlets. He didn't have time to worry about that however as another stream of pink bolts flew at him.

Then, with a sudden sadistic inspiration he summoned his weapon as he stayed ahead of the Pink Ranger's attacks. Billy lurched forward as the weapon sought its owner; the lance flying through the air toward Blue and the firestorm. Kimberly saw what was coming and ceased fire as Billy released the weapon, flying off to the side in a roll, as Blue took hold of his lance once again.

With Billy clear Kimberly resumed her attack, but Blue was ready this time, his lance spun at a frightening speed cutting through the torrent of energized arrows with ruthless precision.

Suddenly a plasma bolt, fired from one side by Trip, hit Blue in the face blinding him for a moment, though it did little else. In that instant of blindness several bolts slipped passed Blue's defenses piercing his chest, shoulder, and left leg. Blue fell under the storm of arrows doing his best to fight through the pain and divert any remaining shots. As he hit the ground he realized that with her rate of fire and ranged attack it was no longer viable to continue this fight without unleashing his full force, it was time to move to the next phase. With a sinister grin he vanished in a blaze of deep blue light; things were progressing nicely and the extra interference these three would create should help convince the others to see things his way.

"You did it Kim," Billy said hitting the side of her Battle Armor with his fist in congratulations.

"We all did it," she replied as the Pterodactyl helmet slid up giving Trip an appreciative nod.

"We should go help the others," Trip replied as he joined the two of them.

"Agreed," Billy said. "But first…"

"Zhane!" Ashley shouted as she pulled herself from the ground.

Trying to focus her emotions Ashley charged Yellow. The Psycho Ranger extended her hands calling her daggers back to her. Ashley attacked with all she had, making several slashing and thrusting attacks, but Yellow managed to keep up, staying with her through every motion.

Suddenly Yellow lashed out slashing the small blade at the base of her dagger across Ashley's neck, the cut was shallow and Ashley rolled off the attack turning her back to Yellow and plunging one of her daggers into her shoulder. Yellow let out a soft cry, though Ashley couldn't tell if it was pain or pleasure she had gotten from the strike. As she quickly retracted the weapon and stepped back turning to face the Psycho Ranger she could see black blood on the tip of her dagger.

Zhane pulled himself to his feet shaking his head slightly.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I think so," he replied.

"We'll have to fix that," Yellow said as she rushed at him throwing an elbow strike to his head.

There was a crack as part of the visor shattered and sprayed into the air. As he fell, Zhane barely had the presence of mind to slash his weapon down the length of Yellow left leg. The blade sunk in releasing a stream of black blood.

"That's ones going to cost you," Yellow said as she rotated her daggers in her hands and fell on Zhane, the blades aimed at his head.

Ashley ran forward diving into Zhane and knocking him aside, the daggers barely missing his body as they plunged into the ground. Yellow quickly tossed the dagger in her right hand to the left, holding both in the same hand, and seized Ashley's neck with her right hand. Rising to her feet she lifted Ashley into the air, her feet dangling nearly a foot and a half off the ground. With a stern look Yellow slammed her fist into Ashley's stomach. With a cry Ashley curled into a ball still hanging in Yellow's grip.

"It's not nice to hit a lady," Zhane coughed out as he pushed himself up on his hands and knees.

"Stay out of this!" Yellow said as she moved in kicking Zhane hard in the chest.

There was a sense of satisfaction as she heard several ribs crack. Zhane fell over landing on his back. Yellow could see one of his eyes looking out through the cracked visor.

"Zhane, just go," Ashley chocked out as she tried to pull Yellow's grip from her neck.

"You need to learn to mind your own business too!" Yellow snapped slinging Ashley into the ground head first.

There was a loud snap as the visor cracked on a rock. Ashley's neck was jerked violently, prevented from snapping solely from the added strength of the armor.

"I said that wasn't nice!" Zhane repeated trying to pull himself up.

"Shut up!" Yellow said as she moved to strike him again.

Suddenly she heard a low bass noise. She turned to see a large flash of green energy taking up most of her vision field. With a burst of superhuman speed she managed to cross her arms over her face as the blast hit. The intense energy burned away the armor around her gauntlet and burned deep into the armor on her chest and helmet.

Ashley looked over to see Trip down on one knee with a large weapon held in both hands. Behind him were Kimberly and Billy both in their Battle Armor.

Yellow lowered her arms glaring at the trio of Rangers, this couldn't be happening. She had them and now these three had messed it all up. Her armor was burned away on her arms and parts of her chest, her skin was ashen underneath; a black ooze seeping from the armor sealing over the burnt flesh.

"Psychos, fall back, we need a new plan," Blue barked over the com.

"I guess I have no choice now," Yellow muttered in reply.

In a flash of rancid yellow light the Psycho Ranger vanished from the field leaving Ashley and Zhane lying on the ground. Kimberly and Billy rushed in as Trip kept them covered with his V-Weapon.

"Are you alright?" Kimberly asked as her battle armor took a knee, the mechanisms whirling as she disengaged from the suit.

"Check on Zhane," Ashley replied sitting up as Kimberly dropped by her side.

"Oh, I'm fine, oww." Zhane replied. "It only hurts to laugh… and breathe… and talk; oww."

"Trip, take Zhane back to the Command Center for medical care," Billy said motioning with the Battle Armor's arm.

Ashley knelt down next to Zhane, "Thank you Zhane," Ashley said with a smile as she took Zhane's hand.

"Couldn't let anything happen to you," Zhane said softly with a smile. "Andros would've killed me."

Trip arrived kneeling next to him as the large cannon vanished in a flash of green light. "Beta, medical transport," Trip said.

In a blaze of light the two Rangers vanished from the field.

"Are you still able to fight?" Billy asked looking around, the Triceratops head shifting from side to side.

"I think so," Ashley replied. "Beta, send my cycle."

"Compliance." Came the reply over the com line as another bike manifest in a flash of light near the Rangers.

"I'm ready to go now." Ashley replied as she took a seat, the metal frame beginning to fold around her.

Black pulled his blaster suddenly, sending a swift volley of shots at Adam and Trey. The two Rangers dove in opposite directions, the shots following after Adam. Trey unleashed another barrage of Ionic Plasma, Black's attacks coming to a momentary pause as the flashes of bright light blinded him. Adam flipped his axe around and fired a shot from the cannon mounted in the shaft as Black resumed his firing. The shots struck near simultaneously as Black fell to the ground, the particle cannon striking his chest. The plasma bolt hit Adam in the shoulder spinning him to the ground as his flesh was seared by the weapon's discharge.

Trey rushed in swinging his staff around as Black was rising to his feet; the iconic mace head slamming into the side of Black's helmet jarring the Psycho Ranger's neck to one side with a loud crack. Black lashed out with his right arm striking Trey in the side of the helmet and knocking him to the ground. Adam rolled over firing another blast from his cannon from the ground. Black dove out of the way narrowly avoiding the attack.

Trey rolled away from Black as Adam pulled himself to his feet; as Black jumped up, thrusting his neck to the side quickly popping it back into place, the two were left facing one another. Black suddenly raced forward bringing his axe back behind him as he charged. Adam, to his surprise, also began to run at Black. The two leapt into the air as they swung their weapons at each other. The axe heads clashed in the air in a fiery explosion of dark energy.

Adam was flung to the ground as his axe detonated in a supernova of black energy fortuitously sending him to the ground as Black's weapon clove through the air nearly grazing his armored chest. Adam hit the ground with a hard cough as the air was knocked from his lungs.

Black landed over him planting a foot on each side.

"I wish I could savor this more," Black said raising the axe above his head.

Trey flew from the side attempting to slam his shoulder into the Psycho Ranger, but Black sidestepped the attack thrusting the shaft of his axe against Trey's back sending the Gold Ranger tumbling forward. Adam quickly threw a kick into Black's pelvis buckling the Psycho Ranger over for an instant as he rolled clear.

Trey dove into a roll and came to his feet quickly before launching himself at the Psycho Ranger. He swung his staff slashing the bladed end across Black's chest. The attack was shallow and did little more than scratch the armor's jet black surface.

Suddenly Black heard Blue's voice in his mind issuing an order to fall back and regroup. Yellow and Red muttered some manner of reply, but Black saw little reason to fallback. Maybe Blue had encountered some problems, but he had these two right where he wanted them. All he needed was one mistake from them to seal his victory.

Black suddenly was struck in the head as Adam threw a roundhouse at him from behind. It was a brave move for him to attack when he no longer had a weapon. It was unfortunate that he would now have to show him how stupid it was.

Black spun around whipping the mace end of his weapon toward Adam. He was shocked as the Black Ranger blocked his strike, the Blade-Blaster pressed against the shaft of his weapon.

"Resourceful," Black said as he spun his axe, bringing the flat of the axe head down on Adam.

The flat black metal slammed against Adam's head bowing him over before Black spun the other end around catching him in the face with the mace. Adam's visor shattered as he was tossed over backward crashing onto the ground.

"Not too smart however,"

Trey launched himself at Black from behind, but the Psycho Ranger turned redirecting his attack with a swing of his axe. Trey landed in a hand plant and flipped himself back to his feet between Black and Adam.

"Are you okay?" Trey asked.

"I think so," Adam replied though he could feel the cuts in his face from the visor fragments.

As Adam rose to his feet several more black shards fell to the ground. Black smiled at the two Rangers, holding his axe across his body waiting for their next move. He was in no hurry to finish off these two.

As he began to move toward the two Rangers once again, his ears perked as a whirling sound broke though the distant sounds of battle, apparently Red was still fighting as well. He turned his head only to see a flurry of fuchsia streaking through the air at him.

Black immediately flipped back and flung his axe in the direction of the attack as he unsheathed his blaster. Kimberly attempted to evade, but the reduced agility of the suit hampered her movements. Without thinking she brought her left arm up to block; the axe head cleaved into the left arm disabling her Power Bow, the weapon sticking into the armored limb. Billy and Ashley raced forward in their armored suits as Black opened fire with his blaster, the shots impacting against the reinforced armor leaving pock marks as the two Rangers advanced. As they approached their weapons slid from their gauntlets with a flash of colored lighting.

Kimberly wrenched the axe from her armor and dropped in on the ground placing a firm foot over it. Taking a knee she opened fire on Black using the blaster mounted in her right arm. Black danced around the shots, her response time too clunky to be effective against the Psycho Ranger's speed.

Billy and Ashley moved in as Trey and Adam fell back. Black holstered his blaster as Billy swung with his lance. The Psycho Ranger moved into Billy taking hold of his arm and thrust the lance into the ground before slamming his elbow through the machine's elbow joint and throwing a spinning roundhouse, dodging Ashley's strike as he did. The kick struck the chest of the machine as the lower right arm was torn free. The metal buckled under the force as Billy toppled over backward.

Black landed, discarding the severed arm before throwing a palm strike into Ashley's armor knocking her over on her side. Black quickly turned to face Kimberly, his outstretched hand calling for his axe. Kimberly's armor nearly toppled to the ground as the weapon flew from under her with a great force. Catching the weapon, Black brought it around and hacked through the Yellow Ranger's armored leg cutting the lower limb from the mechanized armor. He was a little disappointed that her leg was not inside.

"What are we going to do?" Adam asked as he and Trey stood at a short distance assessing the situation.

"I'm not sure," Trey replied. "It is obvious however that these armored suits of yours are too slow to fight this foe effectively."

Psycho Red charged forward into the three Red Rangers. Jason stepped out to meet him. Their swords clashed in a brilliant burst of nebulous reds. Tommy and Andros stepped in to strike, but Red jumped back, flipping backward over their strikes.

Then, with an outstretched hand, he launched a burst of red lighting from his hand. Jason swung his sword into the head of the arc deflecting the blast behind him. As he did so Tommy leapt over his left shoulder and came down on Red with a hard strike. Red met his attack as their blades locked. Tommy pushed against Red's sword, but the Psycho Ranger fell backward slamming his foot into Tommy's stomach throwing the Quantum Ranger over his head.

No sooner had Red returned to his feet than Andros leapt in with a slash to the chest. Red was unable to block in time and the Spiral Saber tore a gash down his torso. Red punched Andros in the face as the pain caused his anger to flare. Jason charged in, but in a fit of rage Red caught him with a spin kick before landing and turning to hit Tommy, who had come back at him, with a side kick to the leg.

Tommy felt the joints in his leg torque as Red's strike landed hard against his thigh. His first instinct was to roll with the attack, but if he did that Red would have time to recover before he could attack again. Against all he knew as good fighting technique Tommy took the force of the hit and shifted his leg around defusing as much of the power as he could by this simple act. As he turned he launched a roundhouse to Red's side knocking the surprised Psycho Ranger off balance; as Tommy landed he leapt into a tornado kick hitting Red again.

Red ducked as Tommy sent another tornado kick at him. Dropping into a sweep Red knocked Tommy's other leg aside causing him to fall off balance. As Red came up, with Tommy falling to the ground, Jason came at him with a slash. Red barely managed to bring his gauntlets up to block; the ornate power weapon cut deep into the hardened armored gauntlets but managed to hold. This weapon was more powerful than he had anticipated, he could be in trouble.

Blue's voice suddenly came through the com link calling for a fallback.

"Not now, I'm busy," Red replied in annoyance, ignoring the comments made by the others.

Red reached down gripping Jason's wrist, but before he could do anything Andros hit him from the side with an axe kick to the head. Red bowed down before flipping backward to clear himself of the area catching Jason in the jaw with a kick as he did.

Jason staggered back as Andros pressed the attack with a strong thrust into Red's chest. Red knocked the blow away only to be caught by a side kick from Tommy that knocked him off balance. Andros stepped in slashing his sword across his chest; Red stepped back trying to recover as black sludge bled through the armor sealing the wound. Before he could regain his balance Jason raced in and slashed at him again. Red moved to block, but Jason struck his blade down then he swung again knocking the weapon aside before carving a deep cut into Red's torso. The Psycho Ranger winced as he felt the burning blade cut through flesh and bone, nearly severing several of his ribs in two.

Red stepped back spitting up a coagulating wad of black blood. The three Rangers moved in to strike, but the pain had snapped Red from his rage. He knew the odds were not in his favor; Jason had more strength than he had anticipated. He could also sense the other Rangers massing together; it seemed the others had already given up this fight. It was time to fall back until a situation more one sided was presented. With a crackle of crimson energy Psycho Red vanished.

Kimberly jettisoned from her armor and manifested her bow, happy that her weapon had regenerated. She sent two arrows at Black as she charged in. Black easily deflected her attacks, but it gave Ashley and Billy the moment they needed to eject from their armor. Ashley conjured her daggers as she landed in front of Black, Billy attempted to call forth his lance, but found that he was unable.

Adam and Trey moved to form up with the others as Ashley attacked with her daggers, her strikes landing against the shaft of Black's axe. Ashley struck again while Billy dropped down attempting to sweep Black's legs. Black leapt over the attack, jumping back to give himself some distance. He was not happy that he now had five Rangers to face.

Black drew his blaster firing several shots at Ashley and Billy as he sidestepped narrowly avoiding several more arrows launched by Kimberly. Ashley dove under the attack, while Billy flipped to one side taking cover behind Ashley's Battle Armor. There was a sudden burst of light as several of Trey's Ionic Plasma spheres impacted on his armor. Then without warning a bolt struck him in the arm sinking shallowly into his flesh. As he looked he could see the magenta dart imbedded in his armor.

This wasn't going to work. The area was too open; he could not defeat these Rangers here. With a disgruntled sigh Black vanished in a streak of black energy.

"Is everyone alright?" Jason asked as the three Red Rangers approached from the other side of the plain, his armor reverting to its normal state in a flash of golden light.

"I think so," Adam replied. "Just a little banged up.

"What happened here?" Tommy asked looking at the fallen Battle Armor Suits.

"We learned that the Psycho Rangers are too fast to fight with the Power Cycles." Billy replied.

"Where's Zhane?" Andros asked.

"He's okay," Ashley assured him. "He just got a little more banged up than the rest of us."

"So what are we going to do now?" Trey asked. "Those things got away."

"Yeah," Adam said. "But they left on their own, so doesn't that mean we won?"

"I think they're simply falling back until they can find a situation more advantageous to them," Billy replied.

"They almost had us though," Jason said. "If those bombs didn't destroy that stuff we were trapped in they would have killed us all."

"What bothers me is that the military went to such lengths to capture us," Billy said. "I think it's safe to conclude that if we receive any future calls for help we should proceed with extreme caution."

"Agreed," Jason replied. "Now let's figure out our next move."

"We had them!" Red shouted angrily covering his own failure as he paced the desert ground. "And now we've lost the advantage because you cowards pulled out!"

"We couldn't have beaten them," Blue said. "At least not if we wanted to take our time and enjoy it."

"You wanted to enjoy it," Yellow accused. "The two I had were almost dead when the others interrupted. Maybe you should worry less about your pleasure and get the job done."

"I say we forget this and call our Zords," Blue replied. "We need to break them down piece by piece. I would also suggest that we set our greed aside and just finish off the other Rangers, deep down I only want the blue one."

"He's right," Red replied. "We've let all these other Rangers cloud our judgment. We need to simply pick off the others and then we can take our time with the rest."

"Fine by me," Black replied.

"Let's quit talking and do it then," Yellow replied.

"Activating Psycho Zords," Blue said.

The Rangers looked up as the air suddenly grew thick like liquid. The skies above turned dark as lightning flashed in the blackness that was expanding overhead.

"What's going on?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "But it's not good."

With a loud crack five crimson vortexes opened as large dark objects began to emerge; each one a Mega Zord by its own right.

The first was a crimson Tyrannosaurus Rex, but as twisted from the original as the Psycho Rangers were from the true Rangers. The arms were thicker and had weapons mounted on the forearms. Twisted spikes rose from the neck and back, the tail ending in a spiked mace. Large missile pods were mounted on the legs, and the feet each had a clawed toe like a velociraptor.

The second was a large black mammoth with several sets of large tusks running from its head nearly to the ground. On its back were two turret mounted cannons covering the left and right firing arcs and a large cannon facing forward.

Next was a large dirty yellow Sabretooth Tiger. The fangs were large and jagged. The whole body bristled with short jagged spines and the claws on the feet were disproportionately large.

After that emerged a midnight blue Triceratops. Like the other Zords it too was considerably larger than its counterpart. The head resembled a Stryracosaurus, but it still had the three horns protruding from the face. The body had thick spiked plates like a Stegosaurus and a series of bladed hooks projecting from both sides of the tail.

Last a large cerise pink Pterodactyl tore out into the skies. Its wings were a fusion between a bat and dinosaur, with clawed hands and twisted claws at the finger tips at the base of the wings. The mouth was rimmed with sharp teeth and twin horns curved back around the fin on the back of the head. Weapons like missiles were tucked under the wings; the clawed feet were larger in size, big enough to take hold of even larger Zords. A spiked whip-like tail trailed behind the Zord similar to that of a Rhamphorhynchoidea. As it burst forth it unleashed a howling shriek.

"I think it's time to get the Zords," Jason said.

Shots of light burst from the desert beyond arcing through the sky to each of the Psycho Zords as the Rangers called for their own fighting machines. The desert flashed with multicolored light under the shadowy veil that had formed over the barren landscape like a canopy as the Dino Zords materialized along with the Astro-Mega Ship and Pyramidas. Tommy activated the voice relay on his Morpher.

"Q-Rex, arise!" he commanded.

A red dart of light raced over the landscape as the Q-Rex materialized alongside the other Zords with a fearsome roar.

Several shots flew from the War Mammoth impacting on the side of Pyramidas; the bright orange of the fiery explosions illuminated the growing darkness. The Rangers vanished from the ground below taking control of their Zords.

"Those things are huge," Kimberly said looking out from her high vantage point.

"According to my readings, each looks to be a Mega Zord of its own," Billy replied.

Kimberly went into a dive opening fire on the War Mammoth from above as the Psychodactyl dove in after it unleashing a sonic attack. Kimberly's missiles impacted on the armored shell of the Mammoth, but did no perceivable damage to the monstrosity. As she veered off her instrument panels flashed red as the sonic distortion disrupted her flight controls. She pulled back on the stick managing to slip out of the attack corridor and soar out of the combat area.

Below the Astro-Mega Ship had begun its transformation shifting into a humanoid machine bearing a shield and sword. Below the shadow of Pyramidas the Dino Zords advanced under cover of a missile barrage that raked over the Razor Tiger, War Mammoth, and Stryraceratops. Q-Rex fired a twin shot from its shoulder mounted cannons into the Stryraceratops, but was absorbed as a blue haze formed around the face plate of the Zord.

Psycho Red's Tyrantsaur had broken from the formation and was moving against the Astro-Mega Zord unleashing a hail of fire from its arm and leg mounted weapons. Andros raised his shield blocking the rockets and particle streams as Red charged in swinging his mace tail. The spiked mace struck the left arm of the Astro-Mega Zord knocking the Zord to the ground tearing a small gash in the armored shoulder.

"Kimberly, come around; we're going to combine," Jason said as Pyramidas fired another volley of missiles into the Psycho Zords sending up a large dust cloud as many of the shots impacted on the ground in front of the three Zords.

"On my way," Kimberly replied diving toward the other Zords as they began to assemble.

The Psychodactyl followed her in; its main system driven by an AI Blue had created using Pink's own thought waves. Kimberly twisted to maneuver into position as the Psychodactyl released two of its missiles at the Mega Zord.

"Mastodon Shield!" Jason ordered.

"Sequence isn't complete yet," Billy responded as the Pterodactyl locked into place.

Tommy opened fire on the missiles, his attack striking one, the warhead detonating in an orange bloom of flames in the sky.

"Joints locked," Adam replied.

"Shield!" Jason repeated watching the missiles rapidly closing the gap.

"On it," Billy replied.

In a flash of light the Mastodon Shield formed as the missile impacted, the warhead detonating against the reconstitution matter of the shield. Mega Zord was thrown to the ground by the blast as the volatile state of the transforming energy was released.

"Get us Titanus and the Dragon Zord!" Jason commanded unconcerned with the attack as Mega Zord returned to its feet.

Pyramidas unleashed a shot from its particle cannon grazing the Psychodactyl forcing it to veer off. The head of the Razor Tiger emerged from the dust cloud as Yellow began to rapidly close the distance.

"Zords in transit," Billy relayed as Titanus appeared in a flash of white light, the pieces teleporting into position on the Mega Zord converting it to the Titan Zord.

The Razor Tiger rushed in jumping over the third volley of missiles unleashed by Trey landing less than one-hundred feet from the Titan Zord.

"Get me the Power Cannon!" Jason said as the Razor Tiger leapt.

"Too late!" Adam shouted as the Power Cannon was constituting.

In a flash of red the twin barreled shot from the Q-Rex tore passed the Titan Zord the blazing bolts ripped into the underbelly of the Psycho Zord. The Razor Tiger was thrown back, the jagged spines tearing up huge tufts of earth as each one vibrated at an ultrasonic level.

"Thanks Tommy," Jason said.

"No problem guys," Tommy replied.

"Dragon Zord has arrived." Billy announced as the reconstructed Zord materialized in a blaze of green light behind the Titan Zord.

"Combine!" Jason said.

Dragon Zord began to separate; the torso and head slid over the existing Zord creating the head of a winged samurai helmet and adding missile racks to both shoulders. The legs of Titanus shifted down to the feet making the Zord taller. The Dragon Zord's feet and shin guards slid over the arms, the feet changing into massive clawed hands. The Dragon Zord's chest attached to the existing chest. The Power Cannon vanished and reappeared attached to the back as the Dragon Zord's tail combined with the Mastodon head to create the weapons mount, the guns extended above the shoulder facing forward toward the sky while the Mastodon head faced the rear with the tail running between the cannons; the remaining Dragon Zord parts attached around the waist and legs thickening the armor. The sword manifested, the large two-handed handle attached to the massive wide blade, extending nearly one hundred fifty feet and ending in a wide point directed at the other Psycho Zords. The blade coursed with multicolored lighting.

"Ultra Zord sequence complete," Billy said.

"Good," Jason replied. "Now let's get rid of these fakes."

Andros came to his feet and rushed in at the Tyrantsaur bringing the Mega Zord's weapon down on the head of Psycho Zord. Red made no attempt to evade and instead lurched forward with the head ramming it into the sword. A loud clang echoed through the air as the thick skull plating met with the sword in an explosion of red energy.

The sword bounced back slightly as Andros responded by bringing the right leg around kicking the Tyrantsaur in the head knocking it sideways. Red tried to bring the Zord under control, but was unable and toppled over on its side. Rather than rise immediately Red whipped the tail around trying to knock the Mega Zord's legs out. Andros saw the attack coming and leapt into the air flipping over the Zord and landing behind Red. He lunged in thrusting the sword toward the Psycho Zord's side, but Red turned the body causing the sword to pierce one of the spiked plates on the Zord's back as he rose to his feet.

The Tyrantsaur whipped around backhanding the Astro-Mega Zord forcing it to step back. Andros managed to stabilize the Zord and brought it back into a fighting stance waiting for Red's next attack.

The Ultra Zord leapt forward flying at the War Mammoth and the Stryraceratops. The War Mammoth's cannons barked off several shots, but they were absorbed by the shimmering armor of the Ultra Zord. With a kick the War Mammoth was knocked on its side as Blue jumped back, the sudden burst of agility a surprise to the Rangers.

"Keep me covered," Trey said over the com. "I'm going to transform to fighting mode."

"Converting to Mega Zord mode," Tommy added as his Q-Rex began to transform.

"I think we can handle this until you're done." Jason replied.

"Flyer incoming," Billy said.

"I got it." Kimberly replied.

The massive shoulder cannons rotated locking on to the Psychodactyl and fired a volley. The Psychodactyl managed to evade as directional jets fired, its agility apparently also enhanced beyond that of its counterpart. The Ultra Zord launched a volley of missiles from its shoulder racks, the swarm of rockets locking on to the Psycho Zord forcing it to flee as they relentlessly pursued it.

"Red, we need to combine," Blue said.

"I agree," Red replied as he unleashed a volley of shots at Andros before turning away back toward the others.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked as the Psycho Zords began to fall back.

"I think they're going to combine," Billy replied.

With frightening speed too fast to stop the Zords began to shift and interlock. The Mammoth stood upright as the forward legs tucked into the body and the whole frame split into a pair of legs as the Tyrantsaur's legs slipped inside the armored shells, the missile pods extending out the front of the legs. The arms tucked back into the body bringing the arm mounted particle cannons to the shoulders. The Mammoth head shifted up to the waist as the tusks retracted and wrapped around the waist like a belt. The side cannons of the Mammoth turned forward projecting from the waist as the main gun slid up the back, several of the back spikes folding down flat to accommodate it as the tail vanished from the Tyrantsaur. The legs of the Stryraceratops and the Razor Tiger retracted into the body as the Stryraceratops attached as the right arm, the Razor Tiger as the left. The Psychodactyl dove in launching a barrage of countermeasures and attached to the back of the Zord as missiles exploded in a brilliant display behind the Zord, the wings wrapping around the front adding extra armor; the munitions vanished. The head shifted to one side and tilted forward coming over the right shoulder. The head split open along the jaw-line forming a sonic cannon. The Tyrantsaur's mouth opened as a face plate slid forward with a sinister looking face that had a wide fanged grin not unlike the Psycho's own faces.

Pyramidas and the Q-Rex completed their transformation at nearly the same time setting down on either side of the Ultra Zord as Andros joined them. Pyramidas still stood about a head taller than the Ultra Zord, with the Psycho Zord matching Pyramidas for height.

"Psycho Battle Zord online," Blue said.

"Oh great, now I have voices in my head," Yellow said.

"What's so different about that?" the voice asked.

"Shut up and leave this to us," Blue said.

The Battle Zord raised its right arm and launched a spray of missiles as the horns on the head broke free flying at the Ranger's Zords from several directions. Q-Rex opened fire with its own missiles striking several from the sky in a splattering of fire. Pyramidas moved to shield the Astro-Mega Zord while the Ultra Zord raced forward carving several of the missiles in half with its energized blade. As it drew closer to the Battle Zord the Psychos manifested their own weapon. The tail of the Tyrantsaur had changed shape, with much of the armor sliding to the lower end of the tail and constricting to form the handle while the barbed plates that had run down it had shifted up the skeletal frame creating a long jagged blade with a long grip, the mace still located at the base. Ultra Zord swung its massive blade, the Battle Zord moving to block. The swords locked in elemental fury as lighting arced between the weapons leaping to the Zords and to the ground below.

The Ultra Zord pushed the Battle Zord back. With a quick jolt the Battle Zord reversed direction and lunged at the Ultra Zord which sidestepped the attack as the Psycho Rangers were suddenly confronted by a volley of fire from Pyramidas. The Battle Zord twisted as the edge of the particle cannon attack carved a shallow gash into the chest armor, missiles impacted over the entire surface enveloping the Zord in a giant fireball. Ultra Zord moved forward swinging at the neck joint with its blade.

Suddenly a snarling tiger head burst from the fire taking hold of the lead arm of the Ultra Zord. The teeth clamped in energizing with plasma as they began to vibrate at an ultrasonic level damaging servos and shorting out motor control. Ultra Zord dropped its sword, the towering blade landing on the ground and sinking in twenty feet. With its other hand free Ultra Zord reached into the flames slugging the Battle Zord in the chest; the blow causing it to fall backward, though it tried to maintain its grip. Armor was torn in a howl of scraping metal as the jaw was ripped loose from the Ultra Zord's forearm.

The Astro-Mega Zord rushed forward slashing at the fallen Zord; The sword glancing against the thick armor of the Psycho Zord. Andros leapt back as the right arm lashed out at him, the horned fist narrowly missing his chest plate.

"I think I might be a little outgunned here," Andros said. "I'm going to revert to the Mega-Ship and cover you from the skies."

"Okay," Jason said. "Be careful."

The Astro-Mega Zord leapt into the air changing back into its warship mode and took to the skies.

"Let him go," Blue said. "He's not the real threat, let's take out Pyramidas."

"Who?" Yellow asked.

"The one our Rangers aren't in," Blue replied a little agitated.

Tommy opened fire with his Blizzard Cannons, but the Battle Zord rolled back and jumped to its feet and ran forward engaging the turbines on the Psychodactyl, propelling it at high speeds into Pyramidas. The war machines collided with a deafening boom that sent a dust cloud into the sky as the two towering machines tumbled into the dry lakebed. Huge chunks of earth were thrown into the sky as Pyramidas plowed into the soil. Overhead the Mega Ship opened fire into the enormous dust cloud peppering the back of the Battle Zord with laser fire.

The Battle Zord pushed itself up straddling Pyramidas. It began to pummel the Zord with both fists. Trey struggled to push the Battle Zord back, but its relentless attacks were making it difficult to do anything. Above Andros could see the Ultra Zord and Q-Rex running toward the fight, but at the speed they were moving at they would be too late. With a deep breathe Andros turned the ship into a dive directed at the Battle Zord. He initialized the transformation sequence continuing to build speed as the Zord unfolded, the saber manifesting in its right hand. Andros maneuvered the Zord around falling feet first as it gripped the saber with both hands, the blade tip pointed straight down.

The blade punched through the rear of the Battle Zord sinking halfway in. The massive War Zord turned almost reactively and slammed the Astro-Mega Zord aside with its left arm, the vibrating spines ripping up the chest plate as the Mega Zord flew back and crashed into the lakebed sending up a cloud of dust that obscured it from sight. The blade still sitting imbedded in the Zord's back.

Trey took advantage of this moment and swung with a wide punch that caught the Battle Zord in the head and knocked it over. Pyramidas pushed itself to its feet turning on the fallen Zord. The particle cannon began to charge as the Battle Zord leapt to its feet, its weapon manifesting once again from nothingness. With a furious burst of speed the Battle Zord swung the mace end at the particle cannon. Trey tried to pull the Zord back, but it was too late.

The landscape lit bright as the particle cannon was destroyed, the resultant explosion hiding the two Zords from sight. The Ultra Zord was slowed as it braced against the blast wave that emanated from ground zero. A huge cloud billowed into the sky from the lakebed mushrooming out as it blackened fading into the unnatural darkness that hung in the sky.

"Trey are you alright?" Billy said getting nothing but static on the com.

"Trey!" Andros shouted.

There was a slight crackle as the Rangers stood by waiting for the debris to settle.

"I'm alive," Trey's voice came over the com. "The cannon's destroyed, several servos are gone. The automated repair system is working on it, but it will be a minute or two until I can move again."

"Tommy, protect Trey." Jason replied.

"On it," Tommy replied.

The Q-Rex marched between the battle and the sprawled form of the hulking giant.

"How are you doing Andros?" Jason asked.

"I think I'm still functional," Andros replied checking over his systems. "Chest plate is nearing failure, some of the joints suffered from that last hit, but everything still appears to be working."

The Ultra Zord began moving into the disheveled ground of Groom Lake looking around cautiously. The explosion had thrown a lot of dust into the air making it nearly impossible to see. In addition the dust had been ionized by the discharge from the particle cannon which was making it hard for even the sensors to see through the thick blackness.

"Does anyone have a visual on the Psycho's Zord?" Billy asked.

"I've got nothing," Trey replied.

"Nothing on the sensors," Andros replied.

"Behind us!" Billy shouted as the sensors suddenly reregistered a moving target.

The Ultra Zord turned in time to lock blades with the Battle Zord. Jason immediately noticed that sharp blade protruding from the Zord's upper right torso, it had apparently landed on the saber when it was thrown back driving it through the Zord's body. Unfortunately it seemed to have little effect on the Battle Zord's functionality.

With a slightly clunky movement the Ultra Zord parried the Psycho's blade pinning it to the ground. The Psychos responded by discharging a blast from the sonic cannon, disrupting the Ultra Zord's systems. Ultra Zord kicked in the knee joint of the Battle Zord trying to force the Zord to shift and divert the attack, but the joint held against the strike and the sonic pulses continued. Kimberly launched a volley of missiles from the shoulders, but many streaked off detonating in the distance as the system failed to lock on through the distortion. The Battle Zord lurched forward, head butting the Ultra Zord, forcing it to step back. As the Rangers continued to fight blind the Psychos brought their blade up to strike.

Suddenly the Astro-Mega Zord jumped onto the Battle Zord's back wrapping its left arm around the Zord's neck and pulling its saber from the Zord's back with the right. The Battle Zord twisted and turned trying to shake its unwanted passenger free. Andros tightened his grip and flipped the sword around in the Zord's hand and stabbed the blade into the top of the Psychodactyl's head. Sparks flew as the weapon capacitors shorted over the armor of the Zord, arcing streaks of electricity dancing down the armor to the ground as the weapon was destroyed. Andros pulled the saber free and dropped from the Battle Zord's back and manifested his shield.

The Psychos turned on him opening fire with all their cannons, the War Mammoth's main gun firing a mortar round nearly vertical. Andros managed to block several of the rockets, but the particle beams burned holes into the right shoulder and upper left torso and one of the cannon shots hit his left leg just above the knee joint ripping a chunk of armor away in the blast. Warning indicators lit up showing damage to several servos and cybernetic muscle bundles; the Astro-Mega Zord stumbled as it attempted to stabilize. So much was going on that Andros barely noticed the warning of an incoming attack from above. With nearly no time to react Andros allowed the Zord to fall to a knee as he brought the shield up over its head; the mortar round impacted cracking the already damaged shield as a plume of flame burst over the surface of the shield.

Before Andros could recover the Battle Zord closed on him bringing its twisted blade down on his Zord. The blade hit the shield cleaving through it, bifurcating the arm; the tip cutting through the chest plate coming within centimeters of the vital components beneath the armor.

The Battle Zord jerked violently as the Ultra Zord's sword clove through the rear armor taking the Psychos by surprise and nearly splitting the Psychodactyl in two. Turning away from the Astro-Mega Zord the Battle Zord turned swinging the mace end of its weapon around knocking the sword away from its body and threw a back kick into the chest of the Mega Zord sending it flying back, plowing into the barren terrain. The two Zords now stood face to face, weapons bared.

The Battle Zord moved in slashing at the Ultra Zord which caught the attack with its own blade. As the two Zords pressed against each other's attacks the Ultra Zord twisted its body slamming an elbow into the side of the Battle Zord's head denting the armor. The Psychos stumbled back opening fire with all their weapons, the arms both raised as their sword vanished. Plasma fire streaming from the Razor Tiger as another volley of missiles launched from the Stryraceratops. Ultra Zord turned the wide blade across its chest bracing one hand behind the sword as the shoulder cannons and missile racks unleashed a devastating salvo. Several shots made it passed the Ultra Zord's sword hitting the arms and chest, with the cannon shots hitting the Zord in the thick plating over its legs putting blackened pock marks on the thick plate. The counterattack from the Ultra Zord was more effective, the cannons tearing an armor fragment from the Stryraceratops shield crest, the blue energy haze swirling around the shot unable to stop it, and burning a hole into the left shoulder. Ultra Zord then jumped back as the mortar round landed where it had been standing moments ago. Not waiting, Ultra Zord charged through the flames from the blast and swung at the Battle Zord cutting a gash down the chest before the Zord managed to step back and summon its weapon. The Psychos moved in as a fury of sword play began, energy sparked like lightning as the two Zords danced around each other.

The Battle Zord ducked under the Ultra Zord's swing before slashing up from the ground with its own weapon. Ultra Zord spun its sword around thrusting it straight down blocking the attack as the Battle Zord's attack grazed the sword's flat surface. Ultra Zord stepped out from behind the weapon with a hard punch slamming its fist into the armored stomach of the Psycho's Zord. As the Battle Zord shook it brought the mace end of its sword up clubbing the Ultra Zord in the side of the head tearing loose the right wing from the helmet sending the stylized metal blade spinning into the air.

Ultra Zord dropped into a sweep, slamming its leg into the legs of the Battle Zord causing the machine to topple to the ground. The Ultra Zord quickly retrieved its sword and brought it down on top of the Battle Zord only to have the Zord block the attack with its own weapon. The Battle Zord kicked its foot into the Ultra Zord's pelvis forcing the Zord back as the Battle Zord leapt to its feet.

Ultra Zord turned slashing its sword at the Battle Zord's shoulder. As the Psychos brought their own sword up to block the Ranger's blade cut through it in an explosive burst of energy, the blade shattered as the spine of the weapon crumbled and jagged plates stuck into the ground. The sword continued to carve down the Zord cutting through the shoulder and slashing through the Stryraceratops. The pieces of Blue's Zord crashed to the ground leaving shredded mechanisms dangling from the torn shoulder. The Psychos seemed undaunted and suddenly thrust the left arm into the upper right torso of the Ultra Zord. The fanged maw of the Razor Tiger sank deep into the armor, the spines of the beast acting like drill heads as it drove its plasma cutter fangs into the body of the Ultra Zord.

"Controls to the right arm are damaged," Billy said. "Twenty percent mobility."

The Ultra Zord dropped its sword and slammed its left palm into the face of the Battle Zord knocking it back as the face plate was smashed inward and mangled. The Battle Zord leapt forward throwing a spinning kick from the right. Ultra Zord tried to block, but was unable to move the right arm in time. The attack wrenched the head twisting metal and leaving the head cocked to the left as it was knocked to the ground.

Having a clear shot Tommy opened fire with a spread of missiles; the spray of warheads detonating along the Zord's head blinding the visual sensors. The Battle Zord stumbled back as the Psychos tried to restore the visual feed.

Ultra Zord capitalized on this distraction and leapt from the ground taking hold of the Battle Zord's head with its left hand and thrust its right knee into the upper chest of the Zord caving it in. The Battle Zord dropped to the ground as servos ground to a halt, smashed into a state of non-operation.

"Where did that come from?" Jason asked.

"I saw it in a movie," Adam replied. "I think it's a muay tai move. It just popped into my mind."

"Well it worked," Jason replied. "Good job."

Ultra Zord turned and took hold of its sword lifting it above the fallen Psycho's Zord.

"We have to do something!" Red protested.

"I'm setting our reactor to critical," Blue replied. "We can take their Zord out with ours."

With an unnatural lunge the Battle Zord sprung from the ground, flames leaping from the body as internal mechanisms exploded under the forced stress. The Razor Tiger bit into the right shoulder getting a solid grip, metal screaming as it twisted in the fanged grasp.

"That's it, time to go," Blue said.

The Rangers saw several streaks launch from the Battle Zord.

"Where are they going?" Jason asked.

"Far away," Billy replied with sudden alarm. "Their reactor is about to go critical!"

"Override safeties to the right arm!" Jason ordered.

Ultra Zord lowered its shoulder cannons aiming them, as much as possible at pointblank range, at the left shoulder. Releasing the sword the Ultra Zord slammed both its fists into the chest of the Battle Zord as the cannons opened fire. The Razor Tiger arm was torn from the shoulder as the Zord staggered back from the force of the strike.

Warning lights flashed as the Ultra Zord gripped its sword and quickly brought it at the Battle Zord in an upward slash, the internals of the right arm shorting out and exploding as the sword clove upward slicing the Zord's body in two. As the right arm broke into pieces at the shoulder and elbow Ultra Zord brought the sword back down in an arc cutting through the torso again from the side making a lopsided cross. The left arm exploded as the blade flew from the Battle Zord's body, the blade planting in the ground; the load of the weapon more than the single arm could handle.

The body of the Battle Zord exploded as internal munitions and weapon capacitors detonated scattering shrapnel over the lakebed. The Ultra Zord dropped to the ground. Pieces of the reactor flew in every direction detonating in a chain reaction of fiery clouds as the fusion core expended its energy. The sky lit bright orange in a fireball as the small explosions coalesced into a single burning mass visible from space as the darkness was blown away and replaced by white smoke as the energy expended.

"What's the status?" Jason asked as systems flickered to life in the Zord's cockpit.

"It appears that the explosion scattered the reactor over a pretty wide area," Billy said. "We managed to advert a total meltdown and dispersed most of the force of the core; damage to our own systems was fairly minimal."

"Billy, our arms are missing!" Kimberly said.

"True," Billy said. "But the entire Zord could be missing."

There was a moment of relieved laughter.

"Trey, Andros, Tommy how are you doing?" Jason asked.

"Pyramidas is nearly mobile," Trey replied.

"My systems got a little singed in the explosion, and the armor's going to need some work, but nothing that can't be fixed." Andros replied.

"Not a scratch on me," Tommy replied.

"Then let's get back to the Command Center," Jason said. "We're still not done yet."

"I can't believe it!" Red shouted. "We lost our Zords, and those Rangers managed to survive."

"I agree this is a minor setback," Blue began, hoping he could curb Red's anger long enough to figure out an acceptable solution. He couldn't risk them wrecking his plan when they were so close.

"I don't want to hear another word from you!" Red replied pointing a finger in Blue's face. "This whole mess is your fault, you and your stupid plans. We could have just taken them while they were being held in confinement."

They were suddenly interrupted as the doors to the bay slid open. The Psychos turned, shocked to see Astronema standing in the opening, Ecliptor standing to her right.

"What do you want?" Red asked staring coldly at her. "We're busy."

"I have something you might find useful," Astronema said holding up a data slate.

"And what would that be?" Blue asked trying to deflect attention from himself.

"The location of the Power Rangers Command Center," She replied with a smile.

The Rangers materialized in the Command Center and powered down, Andros immediately departed to get to the Medical Bay. Ashley was quick to follow him.

"So how'd it go?" Rocky asked getting up from his chair.

"They got away again," Jason said a little frustrated.

"So what are you going to do?" Aisha asked.

"Not sure yet," Billy said taking a seat at his workstation. "But the first priority is to get the Zords back to full strength. The War Zords were considerably damaged by the end of the battle."

"I feel bad," Tommy said. "I really didn't help you guys much."

"Hey, don't let it get you down," Jason said. "You pulled your weight just fine, there just wasn't much you or Andros could do other than distract them."

"It was regrettable," Billy agreed. "We had no way to know that a Mega Zord would be so ineffective against a War Zord. I wouldn't worry about it."

Tommy nodded though he didn't feel much better about the situation. He could see the point Jason and Billy were trying to make, but maybe if he had pushed himself harder instead of holding back he could have made more of a difference. He knew that he would have to try harder next time.

"Where's Shawna?" Kimberly asked looking around.

"Not sure," Aisha replied with a sidelong glance. "She was out here a minute ago,"

"Well hopefully she finishes up with whatever she's doing quickly," Kimberly said taking a seat. "I was hoping to get some gymnastics practice in before I called it a day."

"How are things here?" Jason asked looking over to Circuit.

"Quiet," the owl replied looking around the Command Center. "Nothing ever happens here."

The door slid open as Andros walked into the Medical Center, Ashley following behind him. Zhane was lying on one of the beds, his jacket and shirt removed as the scanner was making a pass over him. Trip was at the computer looking over the data.

"How you doing?" Andros asked.

"Hold on," Trip replied as the scan completed. "Okay, you can talk now."

"I think I'm alright," Zhane said sitting up on the bed. "I had a couple broken ribs, some internal bleeding, nothing too serious."

"We should know if the cellular regenerator did its job in a moment," Trip added.

"I never get over the fact that those are minor injuries," Ashley said with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" Andros asked.

"Our world isn't as advanced compared to what the Command Center offers; the injuries Zhane suffered would be a big deal if it had happened to a normal person."

"How do most humans deal with problems like this?" Zhane asked putting his shirt back on.

"Surgery, stitches, things like that." Ashley replied.

"You mean like cutting people open," Andros asked with a look of mild disgust.

"Yeah,"

"Wow," Zhane said. "That's primitive,"

"Scan's good," Trip announced looks like you're good to go.

"Good," Zhane said putting his jacket back on. "I had no intention of staying in here anyway."

"Guys get out here!" Jason's voice shouted over the com system.

The four Rangers quickly exited the Medical Bay.

"What's going on?" Andros asked as they emerged into the main chamber.

"We've got company!" Jason shouted pointing at the ceiling.

Andros turned in time to see several large creatures racing over the ceiling nearly above them. Almost instantly they began to drop from the ceiling unsheathing six pairs of scythe-like clawed limbs. Their bodies were reminiscent of centipedes with brown shells and black markings, but were flat with wide spread legs. The fringes of their carapace were jagged like saw blades. Each creature was roughly fifteen feet in length, their bodies sailing to the floor at a slightly slowed rate as they whipped through the air.

With only seconds to react Zhane grabbed Ashley and dove to the side. Trip also dove quickly to the ground rolling clear. The other Rangers went for their Morphers as Andros pulled back the right sleeve of his jacket and activated some device mounted on his wrist before throwing a punch into the creature descending upon him. His fist blazed with red energy as the strike cracked through the hardened exoskeleton snapping the creature open. Thick liquid sprayed out of the creature's battered form as its dead body curled around Andros, the two falling to the floor in a heap.

Jason rushed forward, his sword forming in a burst of red light as two of the remaining five creatures snaked along the floor toward the other group of Rangers at an alarming speed. Two of the other three headed for Zhane and Trip as these Rangers also activated their Morphers. In a flash of red light the insect corpse burst in half as Andros emerged from under the body fully morphed, another of the warriors racing at him.

Jason met with the first insect warrior, but the creature seemed uninterested in him and quickly snaked around his strike rushing passed his legs, the razor sharp edges of the carapace cutting into his armor and drawing blood.

"They're after the other Rangers!" Jason warned.

"Of course they are," a female's voice said from behind. "The rest of you belong to the Psychos."

Jason turned to see Aisha standing at the control console glaring at him.

"Circuit, drop shields and disable the teleporter, code six two three nine."

"Acknowledged," Circuit replied as the owl's eyes turned a ghostly white.

Trey ignored the situation unfolding and managed to catch the first insect as it lunged at him, his staff pressed against the monster as its scythed limbs flailed wildly trying to hack at him. The creature opened its mandibles hissing in fury.

Aisha put her hand to her chest suddenly transforming in a blaze of dark energy. The jet black armor was thick, more so than the Ranger's armor though it was similar in pattern. The helmet was plain except for the silver rim, the lower part of which was shaped into some form of air filter. Tubes ran from the neck down to a silver harness that crossed the chest holding a silver box which glowed red in a circuitry pattern that seemed to be emanating from the red gem in the center.

Kimberly pulled her blade blaster trying to stave off the shock of this apparent betrayal and opened fire on the new Ranger. Aisha lifted her hand blocking the shots with her palm before slamming her other hand through the console disabling the system. The lights shut down as the emergency lighting came to life bathing the Command Center in a soft red glow as several of the main lights continued to flicker.

Billy manifested his lance and engaged the second of the insects. Leaping, he attempted to thrust his lance through its body, but the creature curved around his attack and flew at Tommy. There was a bright discharge as the Quantum Defender unleashed a single shot; the high energy plasma pistol depositing its shot into the center of the creature's head. The beast fell to the floor as its head exploded in a spray of gore, its limbs still twitching with murderous intent.

Zhane opened fire on the his attacker, the shots from his gun blade punching several holes through the body of the insect as it leapt at him, the limbs flying like jackhammers. Zhane activated his sword, the bluish-silver blade raced out like a projectile of light as it formed on top of the gauntlet. Zhane swung cleaving through the head of the creature carving down through its body as its limbs punched several shallow holes in his armor, blood pooled up through the openings as the creature fell to both sides of the Silver Ranger.

Andros' saber formed in a flash of red as he swung at the approaching insect, but the creature had learned from the mistake its predecessor had made and twisted around the Red Ranger slinking behind him before rearing up to strike. Andros turned in time to block, holding the creature's upper scythes back as the other five pairs reached out trying to get a hold of his armor, the razor tips scratching against the surface.

Trip manifest his V Weapon and fired a quick shot, the high energy blast caught the side of the insect as it leapt at him burning away a portion of the upper left side, incinerating limbs and armor. As it fell forward the body hit Trip knocking him down as a scythe plunged into his chest puncturing his left lung and carving into the floor. Trip spit up blood as he struggled to pull the limb from his body.

"Trip!" Tommy shouted running across the chamber to reach him.

Then, with a malevolent swell of laughter, four streaks of sickening color flew into the main chamber. The burning energy vanished from the Psycho Rangers like wisps of flame as they manifested their weapons.

"I love what you've done with the place," Blue said with a diabolic grin.

"Less talk, more killing," Red ordered as he charged at Jason.

Jason inhaled deeply as his body transformed to its higher state in a burst of gold light. His sword transformed in a flash as he brought it around to block Red's strike.

"No one to help you this time," Red snarled as he pressed against Jason's sword with his own. "This time it's just you and me."

Aisha stepped from the console toward Kimberly. "Since Psycho Pink is gone I guess that makes you mine." She said as she vanished from sight.

"Why are you doing this?' Kimberly asked.

The only answer she received was a strike to her face, the invisible hand smashing into her helmet sending a spider web crack out over the left side of the visor. Kimberly stumbled back. How was she supposed to fight something she couldn't see?

"The aura," a voice drifted through her mind like the wind.

The aura? Was it possible she could still see the energy field that surrounded Aisha even if she couldn't see her? Another strike hit her in the head, likely a kick by the force and angle, knocking her onto the ground. She struggled to ignore the pain and cleared her mind focusing on the presence she could only vaguely sense hanging in the air. Ever so faintly she could perceive an image in her mind's eye, a figure before her. With no time to hesitate she lashed out with a quick kick. She was shocked as she made contact with something solid. There was a loud crack as the Phantom Ranger flew back and slammed into the side of one of the consoles.

"Lucky shot," Aisha's voice growled as a rustling was heard.

Kimberly manifested her bow and fired several shots toward the hazy outline. Aisha flipped clear as the shots flew across the Command Center imbedding in the far wall. Aisha charged in, but Kimberly sent several more shots into her chest and head. Two bolts glanced off the helmet's curves, but the third stuck into the forehead stopping short of her skull while two more hit her chest on the right and left just below her clavicle. The force jerked her head back causing her to slip onto the ground and slide to a stop at Kimberly's feet.

Her cloaking field broke down rendering her visible once more. Kimberly pulled back another arrow and aimed it at her head. Aisha could see the blazing dart shimmer in the bow.

"Don't make me do this," Kimberly pleaded.

"Another time," Aisha promised as she vanished in a streak of dark light, the magenta arrows clattered to the ground and dispersed.

Tommy dropped to his knees and slid across the floor to Trip's side.

"Trip, what do I do?" Tommy asked half panicked.

"Blast the joint," Trip said indicating the top of the scythe where the hardened chitin met thick tendons.

Tommy placed his blaster against the joint and pulled the trigger. The joint exploded in a splash of ichor and chitinous fragments. Tommy placed his hands on the scythe and began to pull it out.

"No," Trip coughed, blood running down his chin. "Get me to the Medical center first," Tommy helped pull Trip to his feet as he swept his Quantum Defender back and forth checking for threats. The room was in chaos, with the exception of Trip and himself everyone seemed engaged with their own battle. The only benefit of this was that their enemies were also tied up. Trip draped his left arm over Tommy as the two began to move toward the Medical Bay carefully circling around the combat.

Trey leapt forward pushing his staff against the Rakani warrior attempting to unbalance it, but the creature shifted its mass around sending Trey sideways as it raked two of its claws over his chest, fortunately the bladed chitin sparked harmlessly over the golden shielding covering his body. As he landed Trey slid his hand down slightly to the grip near the spearhead and slid the bladed grip up to the middle of the staff. With the leverage shifted Trey spun the staff at the creature slamming the icon into the creature's side.

The insect thrashed its claws wildly smashing the tips of several against the golden armor, splintering the chitinous blades. As it backed off Trey unleashed a spray of Ionic Plasma, the star fire spheres hitting the shell of the monster cooking its flesh and fluids. Its movements began to slow as the blood thickened into paste and muscles were destroyed. Trey let a second volley go charring the exoskeleton black. As the creature lay on the floor twitching Trey stood over it thrusting the spear tip through its head ending its suffering.

In the skies above the mountain range the Dark Fortress was making its decent toward the Command Center. On the bridge of the vessel Astronema stood facing the view port, her finger twirling over the glassy surface of the cover of a red button on her command console.

"Status of the shield generator?" she asked anxiously.

"Fully operational," Ecliptor replied. "Nothing is going to get out of the Command Center even if they are able to restore the systems."

"Excellent, then get to the Bio-reactor and await my word."

"At once Empress." Ecliptor replied turning and exiting the bridge.

Zhane fired a shot into the back of the Rakani bearing down on Andros. The creature twitched as the bolt burned through the carapace and cooked the soft flesh beneath. Zhane prepared to fire again.

Suddenly Ashley flew to the floor by his feet as Yellow connected with a roundhouse. With quick precision Yellow put two plasma bolts into Zhane's chest sending the Silver Ranger to the ground as his shot flew wide hitting the insect in one of the arms that was being held back by Andros' saber. The limb fractured and exploded in a splash of fluids. Andros quickly knocked the other limb aside and dug his Spiral Saber into the creature's chest, the drill-like weapon tearing away hard chitin and twisting organs within into a vortex of splattering viscera. Letting go of his saber with his right hand he quickly grabbed his pistol and shoved the barrel into the hissing mouth of the insect. The head exploded in a shower of blood and exoskeletal remains.

Andros leapt over the corpse of the creature as it collapsed, heading toward Zhane and Ashley. He fired off a shot at Yellow, but the Psycho Ranger grabbed Ashley's arm and slung her in front of the shot. The shot hit Ashley in the chest burning her armor in a spray of light as the bolt exploded against her armor. With a cry she fell to the floor.

"No!" Andros screamed as Ashley hit the ground.

Yellow turned on him in his distraction and flung one of her daggers at him. The dark blade embedded in his stomach just below the sternum. Zhane began to rise to his feet, but Yellow was quick to pull her blaster and put a bolt into the side of his head. Zhane slumped to the ground, the side of his helmet charred black around the hole left by the plasma bolt.

Adam snapped out of the shock of watching Aisha go after Kimberly as Black's axe flew through the air at him. Adam dropped to the floor, the blade carving through the air above him, and manifested his own weapon. Black recovered from his strike and swung at the floor where Adam was lying. Adam brought his axe up catching Black's attack.

"No games, no playing this time," Black said pushing hard against Adam's axe, the pressure pushing the shaft of his own weapon against his rib cage. "This time you die."

Adam tried to push back against the force of Psycho Black, but his strength was intense. He could feel his ribs cracking under the weight. Had they really been going light this whole time? Were they only toying with them before?

Adam suddenly cried out as several of his ribs cracked under the pressure. His grip on his axe weakened and Black pulled back for a split second knocking the weapon aside. The Psycho Ranger took hold of his neck, crushing his larynx and lifting him into the air. A grin spread across the Psycho's face as he threw Adam into the holo-display, the machine exploded in a spray of parts as Adam's body smashed through it. Pain pulsed through Adam's entire body, his pain receptors on the verge of overloading. He suddenly was convinced that the Psychos had been holding back the last time they fought, and outnumbering them had probably helped. Not that it mattered anymore, Adam had no doubt he was about to die as his eyes closed, the last image he saw was Black's armored boots walking toward him.

Jason parried Red's strike and stepped in with a slashing attack of his own. Red was quick to deflect it before thrusting his sword into Jason's chest, the narrow blade piercing the armor through a section of golden ribs. Jason winced at the shallow attack and gripped Red's arm with a clawed hand, the golden talons of his armor digging into the armored gauntlet. He struggled against Red's strength trying to pull the blade from his chest.

"Not so easy when I don't hold back and you don't have your friends to bail you out is it?" Red sneered.

"You haven't won yet," Jason said with a sudden burst of force jerking Red's arm back and dislodging the blade.

Red lunged in again, but Jason sidestepped and swung his blade around trying to take Red's head off. The Psycho swiftly ducked under the shot and threw a palm strike to Jason's chin knocking him back. Regaining his balance Jason launched a force blast from his hand. Red quickly braced, crossing his arms over his chest absorbing the kinetic energy.

Jason charged in slashing at Red, but the Psycho quickly parried, knocking Jason's sword above his head before slamming his forehead into Jason's face. Jason's visor cracked slightly, though Red's also cracked down one side. Jason was quick to recover and threw a round house into the side of Red's torso knocking the Psycho to the ground. Red quickly returned to his feet as Jason stepped back, getting a little distance. Red twirled his sword in his hand as the two Rangers circled one another.

Billy flew back as Blue put a hard kick into his chest. It was incomprehensible that they still had this much fight in them. They should have exhausted more energy. He certainly was exhausted from the previous battles, but that didn't appear to be an issue for the Psycho Rangers. Blue seemed as intense as when they had first fought that morning.

Blue wasted no words and leapt toward Billy closing the gap in seconds. Billy barely managed to roll clear and come to his knees before blocking Blue's lance strike with his own. He had lost track of Adam's other friends when the chaos began and could only hope that they were not also moles, and in that case, hope they were unharmed.

Blue dropped suddenly kicking both feet into Billy's chest. Billy could feel a rib crack as the air was forced out of his lungs. He struggled to bring his lance around, but Blue was on top of him before he could. He saw the lance head coming down on him and knew there was nothing he could do. Without warning a ball of white light exploded in front of him throwing Blue back against the far wall. In his place two beings stepped forward. Billy could see little from behind, but one wore white armor with gold trim all around and carried a staff on top of which blazed a pair of fiery wings. Two narrow black capes ran down behind each shoulder covered in golden runes. The other looked like a samurai; the base armor green covered in golden plate. Two swords were sheathed at his side and he held a long naganata in his right hand. Both sides ended in blades like scimitars, each had six rings hanging from the holes punched in the back of the blades. The samurai nodded toward Yellow as she stalked toward Ashley. Before Billy could say a word the two warriors had moved; their forms vanishing and reappearing in an instant as if they had teleported; the warrior in white engaging Yellow and the samurai engaging Black.

"Do it," Astronema commanded as the Dark Fortress came to rest hovering a mile over the Command Center.

"Yes Empress," Ecliptor replied.

As the com link went silent Ecliptor stepped toward the Bio-reactor and thrust his sword through the cylinder running it through Dark Specter's chest. Fluid spilled onto the floor from the shattered casing and Dark Specter fell forward onto the blade breaking through the fractured cylinder, the blade piercing through his back.

"Thank you," he gurgled as his fluid filled lungs expelled their last breath.

"There is no kindness in this act," Ecliptor replied pushing the massive form from his blade with his foot. "It is done my Empress."

"Good,"

Ecliptor turned and left the room. The body of Dark Specter began to dissolve, the hardened form crumbling like lifeless stone.

Yellow threw a hard kick into Ashley's side taking only a moment to enjoy her cry as she curled into a ball. She fell toward her preparing to plunge her remaining dagger into her heart, but suddenly found her arm restrained. She turned to find a warrior in white holding her arm back with a single hand. The helmet was solid white with only a glimmering visor in reflective gold shaped like a star burst. A black ring ran around the neck and shoulders with golden runes, a golden belt circled the waist. There was gold trim on the gloves and boots, but otherwise the armor gleamed with a pure spotlessness that caused Yellow's anger to flare.

She turned suddenly to strike at the warrior. Then, with an abrupt convulsion, she paused. Her body felt tired, as if she hadn't slept in days, as if she were dehydrated, her muscles burned and ached and went limp, her strength draining from her. Before she could begin to analyze the reason her world was set ablaze as the warrior's staff struck her, igniting her whole body in flames. Her mouth opened to scream, but nothing but acrid smoke billowed out. She collapsed onto the ground as her morphed form failed, her body exploding in a shower of burning embers.

Black brought his axe down to cleave Adam in two. There was a clang as another blade met his followed by a jingling sound as several metal rings shook along the blade. Black looked up to face this interloper. The only thing he was able to perceive was the other end of the weapon flying around before it sliced through his neck decapitating him. He fell to his knees as a thick black liquid hemorrhaged from his body and ran down onto the ground.

Red was distracted for a moment by the burst of white light that lit the main chamber like a flash as he saw Blue fly passed him into a wall. Jason stepped in bringing his sword down on Red uninterested in the situation around him. Red quickly blocked the attack and knocked his weapon aside punching Jason in the chest. Red Ranger staggered back for a moment before jumping at Red throwing a spinning crescent kick. Red raised his arm to block.

Suddenly his body convulsed and his guard dropped, Red's limbs suddenly feeling like lead weights, as Jason's attack made contact slamming Red backward. Psycho Red hit the ground and slid to a rest near Blue's feet.

"What's happening?" he asked looking up at Blue.

Blue knew the answer. The Bio-reactor had been taken offline. The source of their increased power, the source of the life force that made them superior in everyway, it had increased their regeneration rate, made them nearly immortal, enhanced their physical abilities, even without their powers, and given them abilities that went beyond their morphed forms. They had been cut off, betrayed, left to die. And at a time when his perfect plan was nearly complete, his feint at Area Fifty-one to leave the Rangers battered while he and his Psychos healed in minutes. The Zord battle that had left the Rangers mentally exhausted, and then this incursion, that couldn't have come at a better time. They had them, but he hadn't factored in this, he never expected betrayal to come like this before their task was complete.

"You were foolish," the voice said. "You knew they were using you and you let your guard down."

"I did," Blue replied.

"You did what?" Red asked as the two warriors walked toward the Psychos.

The other Rangers stood awe struck at the sudden appearance of these strange beings. Ashley pulled herself along the floor next to Andros talking hold of his hand.

"I let my guard down, and now we've been betrayed," Blue said fighting to keep his eyes opened.

There was a brief flicker in the lights that seemed to herald an ominous presence.

On the bridge of the Dark Fortress Astronema looked down on the Command Center with a sense of satisfaction.

"Good bye," she said with a smile as she flipped the protective casing up and depressed the button beneath it.

A massive weapons array beneath the Dark Fortress exploded in a plume of red light ionizing the air as swirling torrents of energy raced toward the Earth. With an earthshaking explosion that rumbled like a thousand thunderstorms, the beam annihilated the Command Center boring through the massive structure down through the lower levels into the deepest depths of the Earth. The mountain lit red as cracks formed over the rocky terrain. Then with a surge of raw force the mountain swelled and shattered in a violent burst of fiery molten stone as rock and debris were hurled into the atmosphere.

Astronema laughed sadistically as rubble bounced off the shields of the Dark Fortress before raining back down to the ground. A huge mushroom cloud rose from the pit where the mountain and Command Center had been.

"Astronema to all commands, the Power Rangers are finished, begin your attack." She announced staring down into the smoldering, black cavity.


	17. Chapter 17

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-17-

In the darkness above thousands of warships began to drift closer to the Earth. The massive hulks moved silently through the void, barely visible to the naked eye as they crept through the darkness. One by one Velocifighters began to pour from the vessels like a swarm of insects. On the belly of each craft was a single long range missile locked to the fighter by a magnetic harness.

The one megaton warheads were designed as a single shot weapon to give Velocifighters a capital weapon for large scale space battles or planetary engagements when greater firepower was needed. It was rare that weapons of this nature were deployed as few societies ever had time to prepare for the arrival of Lord Zedd's armies. Earth, however, had been one such world and Lord Zedd would not allow for anything to go wrong now. The planet's defenses had been analyzed and twice the force necessary to take the world had been committed ensuring that a clear message would be sent about the futility of resisting.

The fighters moved up into formation as their numbers filled out. Twenty-two squadrons drifted ahead of their respective commands, three hundred and fifty-two fighters against the one hundred seventy-one remaining defense satellites. The other forty-two had been previously destroyed by Velocifighters accompanying the Dark Fortress, shattering the defensive platform of the United States.

Commander Deviot stood on the command bridge of the Dark Nebula. Before him was a holographic display showing the area of engagement as a light blue barrier around the earth. Tiny red dots orbited the planet indicated military satellites and yellow dots marked communication satellites. While the satellites were all visually similar, no doubt a crude tactic attempting to mislead their forces, the scanners could easily detect the nuclear payload of any warheads on a given orbital. It was possible that some satellites might house standard warheads, but according to the reports on current Earth technology these weapons were not a threat to anything with even the most basic energy shields.

Outside the blue engagement zone was a dispersal of flashing red dots indicating the Velocifighters. As the fighters passed into the engagement zone the dots shifted from flashing red to a steady green. When the last fighter had entered range the engagement sphere lit green.

"All fighters open fire," Deviot relayed calmly.

"Transmission sent," one of the bridge crew Quantrons replied.

These advanced Quantrons had few real differences from a standard unit. The main difference was the addition of several storage banks in their memory system along with the extra knowledge installed, giving them a solid understanding of the operations of the ships on which they served as well as the basic communication skills needed to perform their roles.

Deviot folded his arms behind his back as the tiny points of light lit below the Velocifighters, the missile on each fighter igniting and detaching from the hull of the craft and streaking toward the target.

The holographic display changed showing an enhanced view of a section of space as the missiles raced toward their targets. Deviot watched as several of the satellites began to open up to deploy their payload as they detected the approaching missiles. Before any satellite could launch their arsenal the warheads hit; the display showing flashing red spheres indicating that the targets had been destroyed.

Deviot looked out the main port as the plumes of hundreds of atomic explosions ringed around the planet in front of them.

"All commands begin making planet fall. Capital ships should assume low orbit and prepare to fire planetary batteries. Velocifighters should proceed to primary engagement zones. All transports prepare for drop." Deviot ordered returning to his chair.

All that was left was the extermination, like crushing insects. Deviot sighed; he had hoped for more resistance, this world wasn't even worth the time it would take to raze the civilization to the ground.

"Empress," Ecliptor began. "We have approaching aircraft from the West and the North."

Astronema laughed. "Begin deploying fighters," she replied trying to be serious. "Bring us over the wreckage of Angel Grove."

"Yes Empress."

What were these humans trying to prove? They were no match for Lord Zedd. Their only hope had been the Power Rangers and the fools had turned on them and secretly tried to dispose of them. They simply did not understand that, for Lord Zedd, wiping out their military forces was a mere formality.

Outside the Dark Fortress waves of Velocifighters filled the skies as military aircraft moved to engage. Missiles where unleashed against the Dark Fortress detonating harmlessly on the shield in balls of flame. The Velocifighters engaged the aircraft destroying several instantly as their laser cannons burned through the steel fuselage with relative ease.

Several of the aircraft engaged the Velocifighters knocking two from the sky with missiles. Others opened fired with cannons riddling several more fighters sending their shredded hulls to the ground in flames. However, their efforts were ultimately futile as they found their squadrons outnumbered four to one.

In a matter of moments the Velocifighters had destroyed the military fighters and took up defensive flight paths around the massive space fortress as it drifted slowly in the direction of ground zero in Angel Grove.

"All units suit up and move out, we launch in five minutes!" General Hamren shouted as he paced the massive underwater hanger at the LSR Aqua Base.

The call had come in twenty minutes ago that a full scale invasion was likely underway as the Dark Fortress had pushed past the blockade. Unlike the last time it had not even bothered to cloak its presence to slip passed the defense network. Project LSR had been ordered into immediate service to defend the capital. Several Exo-Ranger squads were already enroute with the rest being prep for battle. Total they had nearly one hundred of the armored soldiers, though many of the men had less than three days of combat experience with the new armor, still it could not be helped, if they did not make their stand today they would likely not have a tomorrow in which to fight.

The General stopped looking up at the massive war machine that towered in the hanger above him, the Proto Zord. The machine was a thick bulky construct with none of the grace possessed by the Rangers Zords. Most of the technology was standard issue, even if it was on a far larger scale, with the exception of the power system that had been assembled with the recent technology they had been able to gather from the Green Ranger's Morpher. The machine's form was roughly equivalent to the battle armor suits that Doctor Fairweather had designed. The head was not part of the overall body however. The flat bucket shaped head sat atop the broad shoulders looking somewhat like a tank turret. The shoulders had large turret mounted cannons to either side of the head and enormous Gatling guns mounted under the arms. The original hands, which were still incomplete, had been removed and replaced with what essentially amounted to a large wrecking ball and a colossal chainsaw blade.

Technicians were running around the large machine clearing the hanger as final launch preparations were made. The Zord had been fitted with twin rockets designed to transport it quickly to the target zone. A heavy duty parachute had also been attached with small retro thrusters in the feet to help the Zord make a controlled descent.

"All personnel clear the hanger, all personnel clear the hanger," the voice advised over the intercom.

General Hamren turned away and began to walk hurriedly from the hanger as other technicians cleared out quickly. As he exited the hanger the bulkhead closed behind Hamren sealing with a loud boom, thick steel bolts slid into place locking the door. Moments later, as he walked down the hall toward the control room, he felt the base shake as the hanger was lifted toward the surface of the water for deployment.

"Greetings General," Captain Mitchell said with a salute as the General entered the control room.

"At ease," Hamren replied. "What's the status?"

"Systems are green, as soon as the hanger surfaces we are ready for launch." Mitchell replied.

"Begin prelaunch sequence," Hamren ordered. "I want that Zord airborne the second the hanger is in position."

"Yes sir," Mitchell replied. "Begin prelaunch! Synchronize countdown for rapid deployment."

"Prelaunch sequence initiated,"

"Countdown synchronized,"

Hamren watched the main screen with a growing sense of nervousness as the automated voice began to countdown to launch.

Waves broke over the massive metal shell of the Zord hanger as it rose above the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Sea water ran out down through the drainage system and dripped from the frame of the behemoth building that continued to ascend from the waters. With the ceiling reaching a point above the waterline the doors began to open, seawater dripping down from the gigantic gates. The boosters on the Zord began to ignite as the steel slabs continued to slide back, thrust vented from the sides of the hanger flash boiling the water around it. The doors locked into place as the Zord began to lift from the platform into the sky. Hamren watched the Zord gain speed as it began to arc to the east, toward Washington.

"Zord is clear; preparing to lower hanger," one of the staff relayed.

"What is the status of the rest of our Exo-Rangers?" Hamren asked.

"Transports are airborne, ETA to Washington two hours."

"And the Zord?"

"Zord will reach maximum altitude in three minutes and will require five minutes to descend safely to the target zone."

"Hanger doors secu…"

The officer was unable to finish his sentence as plasma pummeled the Aqua Base, raining down from the heavens like divine judgment. Hundred of thousands of gallons of sea water were instantly flash boiled as the star fire fell into the ocean smothering the Aqua Base in seconds before the fusion bombs hit vaporizing everything within three square miles. Water rushed in filling the void left by the attack; steam filled the air like a huge cloud burning anything that was unfortunate enough to be caught in it. All traces of the former Aqua Base and the LSR were gone.

Lord Zedd stood watch from the Palace Balcony, looking out at Earth, the points of light flashing over the surface of the planet as plasma barrages and fusion bombardment made quick work of the Earth's military forces. He laughed to himself, even if the Power Rangers were still alive there was nothing they could have done to prevent this. They certainly would have fought to the last, possibly even taking a hundred ships with them, but in the end the outcome was inevitable. No force in the universe was a match for any fleet in his glorious empire. Past failures were washed from his mind as he watched the Earth burn with a twisted satisfaction, he had finally won.

Lokar came forward onto the balcony standing alongside his Lord watching the fall of the planet, Aisha followed behind him still morphed. The Phantom Ranger remained behind Lokar looking out over the destruction of Earth with a soulless gaze. Lokar was glad that this day had finally arrived. He was overjoyed when the report had come back from Astronema that the Command Center was destroyed along with the Psycho Rangers. Apparently, Trakeena's insect assassins had also been present at the attack, though he had instructed Aisha to forget the matter entirely. While he had been concerned about the lack of Lord Zedd's ability to deal with threats to his Empire it seemed that he had been wrong. Even if his Lord did not know all things at all times he still possessed unsurpassed power to ensure that his will was carried out.

"It is a good day Lokar," Zedd said.

"Yes my Lord, Earth is finally yours."

"It is more than that," Zedd replied.

"My Lord?"

"This was the last Alliance World. With this victory the Ath'zyn Alliance is finally destroyed, not a world remains that has been corrupted by their influence."

"What of the Masters though my Lord?" Lokar asked.

"They are no longer any concern of mine," Zedd replied. "Their power has been broken."

"But, the rings?"

"It is no longer a concern," Zedd repeated, his eyes flared as his tone became annoyed.

"Of course, forgive me my Lord."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Lokar chose his next words carefully.

"There is one small matter left to deal with on Earth," Lokar said.

"You're referring to the human's pitiful attempt to create Rangers?" Zedd asked.

"Yes my Lord,"

"Send Goldar, Scorpina, and Vexacus to deal with this final act of defiance. Let them see that even their best is not even a challenge for a few of my Generals."

"Yes my Lord," Lokar replied with a bow as he turned to leave.

"Welcome my dear," Zedd said taking notice of Aisha for the first time. "You have done well."

"It is an honor to serve you my Lord," Aisha replied taking Lokar's place at his side.

"And you shall continue to serve me well," Zedd replied. "Your power will grow, and one day you will take you place at the head of my armies."

"May it be as you say," she replied with a shallow bow.

Lord Zedd turned back toward the Earth. He knew this Ranger would never betray him; at least she would never live if she did, Lokar had seen to that. In a matter of hours he would return his Palace to the Earth and begin the subjugation of its people, and once he was finished here the rest of the universe would fall before him.

Trakeena stood atop the tattered form of a skyscraper in Stone Canyon watching her forces rise from their tunnels taking the ground forces left in Angel Grove by surprise. Men screamed in terror and panic as they were pulled beneath the Earth by mandibles and claws; her forces finally able to enjoy a good meal. She smiled as she considered that throughout the entire California Valley the same thing was happening to even the most remote of populations. Rain lightly pelted her carapace from the random cloud cover above.

The Vora had been given the simple task of clearing away the population and leveling their cities in preparation for Lord Zedd's arrival. What would be built over the span of hundreds of miles was the new capital of Earth.

While this cleansing had also included several military targets the assignment had been a relatively easy one. This region was prone to earthquakes and so the minor seismic activity that had surely been detected as her forces spread across the land through their network of tunnels had seemed insignificant.

However, it was the simplicity of her role that had allowed her to seed colonies on every continent. While it would still be sometime before she could oppose Lord Zedd she hoped that he would quickly tire of this world and move on leaving her behind to seize control, or at least some weaker foe that she could quickly eliminate and replace with one of her mimics. Her thoughts were broken as Furio emerged from the darkness below climbing the shambled stairs joining her.

"Your report?" Trakeena asked getting straight to the point.

"Things go well my Lady," Furio replied with a bow. "The data you secured on Lord Zedd's targets proved invaluable to the growth of the colonies. We were able to harvest a significant amount of food before the targets were vaporized eliminating the evidence."

"Excellent," Trakeena replied with a grin. "We'll need those stores of food if we are to survive undetected until we are presented with our opportunity."

"Indeed, it is certain we will need to ration what we have in the other colonies, we can afford to spare little from our own hive without drawing suspicion."

"This is true; those spores Lokar supplied are not working as well as I had hoped. Make sure our forces preserve as much as possible from our work here. Lord Zedd will certainly be less concerned about the mass disappearance in this region now than in days to follow. Also take a survey of our surplus."

"At once my Lady," Furio replied with a bow as he departed.

Trakeena turned as a strong wind began to blow. Moving through the clouds over the wasteland that was once Angel Grove the Dark Fortress came to rest above the crater that was ground zero. Massive search lights beamed down from the vessel racing over the landscape as Quantrons began teleporting to the surface along with crates containing equipment. Trakeena smiled, things were certainly getting interesting now.

"Can you do anything with this one Lord Rito?" Ryan asked raising a pile of ashes from the shadow cast on the ground.

Amid the charred remains was a black triangular device, the center of which held a burning yellow gem. Rito knelt near the ashes scooping up a handful, the powder running through his armored fist.

"This one will require stronger arcanum, perhaps when my father arrives this one can be reborn." Rito replied.

"And what of the others?" Diabolico asked.

"It will be a simple matter to resurrect the others, though I must say I find your use of these creatures questionable."

"As do I," Diabolico replied turning toward Ryan. "Are you sure they will help us?"

"They were betrayed by Lord Zedd and left to die," Ryan replied.

"Hmm, Lord Zedd does have a habit of doing that." Diabolico replied.

"I'm certain they'll fight against him." Ryan added.

"I'm more concerned that in the end they'll turn on us," Rito said. "My influence over the dead only goes so far, if we turn them lose there is no telling what they will do."

"We will simply kill them if they betray us," Olympius growled.

"This one," Rito said with a laugh. "Such arrogance every time his mouth opens."

"Forgive him my Lord," Diabolico replied. "He is young and has not learned the wisdom of holding one's tongue." Diabolico glared at Olympius.

The Dragon Prince looked away from Diabolico barring his teeth. Diabolico continued to stare at him until at last he turned away and left the room bumping into Vypra as she entered.

"What news do you bring?" Diabolico asked.

"The destruction of Earth has begun," Vypra said. "Zedd's armies have nearly crushed every bastion of human resistance. The planet will be his within a matter of hours."

"Such ruthless efficiency," Diabolico marveled.

"This will certainly complicate matters," Rito replied. "If Lord Zedd leaves Earth it will become even more difficult to eliminate him, I must consult with my father." Rito said as he turned and left the chamber.

"What shall I do with this one?" Ryan asked nodding at the ashes on the floor.

"Move it into one of the tombs, we will wait for Master Vile before deciding what to do with them."

"Yes my Lord," Ryan replied as he and the remains sunk into the shadow on the floor.

"Have you been able to discover anything more about this new alliance we seem to find ourselves a part of?' Diabolico asked quietly.

"Nothing you do not already know my Lord," Vypra replied.

"I expected as much, a group such as this could not hope to survive if anything about them could be easily discovered." Diabolico replied starring off out a window into the darkness.

"Something troubles you my Lord?"

"No, it's nothing," Diabolico replied turning to face her. "Come we still have preparations to make."

Goldar hurled a chair across the room as he roared his frustration. Vexacus and Scorpina were standing back against the wall watching his outbursts with little interest. Vexacus could understand Goldar's frustration; after all they were among the few of Zedd's Generals that had not been given a role in the invasion. Given the rumors that were fast circulating about the Psycho Rangers' demise he wasn't sorry; getting killed while being used in a distraction was not part of his plans. Goldar, on the hand, seemed overly distressed that they had not been entrusted with a part in the invasion.

"Are you ready to calm down yet," Vexacus growled growing tired of the noise.

Goldar looked at him with fire in his eyes, his teeth barred in a snarl. "Don't you even care that our honor was taken from us and we never had a chance to win it back!?"

"Are you still moaning about that?" Vexacus asked. "If we had been allowed to fight freely that Ranger would have never slipped through our grasp, in fact if Astronema hadn't botched up and let the Red Ranger destroy the shield generator we would have gotten him anyway."

"That's not the point!" Goldar shouted flipping a table over. "I've trained hard waiting for the chance to redeem myself and now it's been stolen from me by those freaks!" Goldar lashed out with his sword obliterating another chair in a shower of splinters.

Lokar smiled as he stood near the door. So was this why Goldar had been working so hard, he had some penance to pay, a stain to his Fear Cat honor?

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Lokar said as he stepped into the room.

"No," Goldar said looking away trying to restrain his fury.

"Lord Zedd has a task for you."

Goldar immediately took interest. Scorpina looked up to acknowledge Lokar's presence; Vexacus however, maintained his composed disinterest.

"It seems that the humans were able to create their own Rangers of sorts. We have even become aware of some form of Zord which has arrived in the capital of the United States joining with forty of these armored Ranger suits. Apparently more are on their way, though they will likely be shot down by our fighters. Lord Zedd wishes you to engage those already stationed at the capital and destroy them, but there is a catch."

"Here is comes," Vexacus muttered.

Lokar ignored his comment. "Lord Zedd wants them humiliated by their defeat. It is not enough to simply kill these soldiers you must also make their deaths so meaningless that it will demoralize the populace."

"It shall be done as Lord Zedd asks," Goldar said kneeling.

"I guess it beats sitting around here," Vexacus replied walking forward.

"Watch your impudence worm," Lokar cautioned as lightning danced in his eyes.

"Forgive me," Vexacus replied. "I forgot my place."

"And you Scorpina?" Lokar asked looking to her.

"I will do whatever my Lord requires," She replied with a bow.

"Then I will leave you to your work," Lokar replied as he turned and left.

Lokar turned the corner of the hall and vanished in a flash of red light, there was one more place he had to go, one more piece of information to satisfy his twisted curiosity.

Astronema watched from the forward port as the Quantrons continued to secure the area, establishing a perimeter for the arrival of the Palace. There would undoubtedly be some small faction of resistance left at the end of the day that would lie in wait for Lord Zedd's coming. They had seen this tactic on a hundred worlds and it was likely that such an arrogant race as mankind would also seek to assassinate their Lord.

Lord, that word seemed wholly inappropriate to her these days. Ever since her death she had begun to see things differently. The zeal which she had served the Empire with in her early days was beginning to wane. It seemed that her only motivation was to keep her own life, and that meant service to the Empire, though she no longer wished to serve as part of Zedd's elite guard. There was little she could do to change this however, so long as Zedd desired her presence near him she could hardly refuse. Ecliptor would support her no matter what she wanted; his loyalties had always been to her, never to the Empire. Perhaps Lokar could be of assistance. While she did not directly think of him as an ally he was always at Zedd's right hand, perhaps he could advise that with the last world of the Ath'zyn Alliance gone that her talents would be better suited to another campaign. She would have to convince him however that this really was in the best interests of the Empire, maybe suggesting they could keep a better eye on matters if she were elsewhere?

"Empress," Ecliptor said snapping her back to the moment.

"Yes?"

"The Quantrons have secured the perimeter; all is ready for Lord Zedd's arrival."

"Then send word to Lord Zedd, I'm sure he is eager to conclude this campaign."

"Are you sure you would not prefer the honor?"

"I have no need of it," she replied her voice becoming a little distant. "Not anymore,"

"As you wish,"

Lokar stood above the crater that had once been a towering mountain on which the Command Center rested looking down in the blackness. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to visualize the final moments of the Power Rangers. Images came in flashes, erratic swirls of emotion and energy, moments forever etched in time. He could not see anything clearly however, whatever power had been unleashed in the final moments of the Power Ranger's existence clouded his perception. He could sense something though, a familiar presence. Where had he felt that energy before? The glade! Whatever had destroyed Psycho Pink had also come here.

Lokar opened his eyes looking around the terrain. While a myriad of events could have occurred it seemed likely that either this mysterious force had intervened once again to save the Rangers, or that it had merely come for the Psychos, it may be that it was even destroyed in the attack. Whatever had occurred here though would be impossible for him to discern through his arcanum. It seemed he would have to content himself with the mystery. With a sigh Lokar vanished in a flash of red light, a cold wind sweeping over the barren rock.

Lighting fell from the sky upon the Capital Building decimating the structure in a storm of rock and dust; energy arced from the point of impact jumping to the ground. The Exo-Rangers were thrown into disarray, many running for cover as giant stones rained down on them. The Proto Zord turned to face the explosion and began moving through the park to investigate.

Inside the metal behemoth sat a crew of five. One soldier was hooked up to a harness that was suspended in the center of the bridge. The harness was mounted in a gyro system with a bar running through the middle of the gyro attaching to the back of the harness allowing the pilot to rotate and move freely. A virtual reality helmet was feeding him data from the Zord's optic sensors. Behind him were men strapped into seats much like a fighter plane. Two officers controlled the ballistic weapons, the other two monitored power, radar, and damage control systems.

"What just happened?" one of the officers asked.

"Something just took out the Capital Building," the pilot replied. "There's a lot of dust, I can't see, but I think… my god…"

The dust began to settle revealing Cyclopsis towering over the debris of the Capital Building. Its arms were folded across its chest.

"I need full power to weapons!" the pilot shouted.

"I have the target on radar," one of the techs relayed.

"Weapon systems are hot,"

"Open fire!" the pilot ordered moving toward the target.

Cannon shells burst from the shoulder cannons as the high pitched whirl of the mammoth chain guns began to fill the air. The Zord raised its arms bringing its guns to bear on the chest of the War Zord. With a boom the first of the Gatling gun shells flew from the gun followed closely by a steady stream of similar shells. Each shot was a seventy-five millimeter anti-tank shell designed for maximum armor penetration. Cyclopsis' arms dropped as the stream of shells battered against the chest. Two more one-hundred fifty-five millimeter shells slammed into the chest from the shoulder mounted cannons, but Cyclopsis remained stationary.

"We need more power!" the pilot shouted.

"Arming laser array," one of the weapon's officers replied.

The Zord began to back away as the chest opened up, the plates folding out in a three sectioned flower revealing a massive cannon. There was a purple glow from the chest and then a sudden flash as the weapon discharged. The front of Cyclopsis sparked as dust and rubble on the armor was heated and vaporized.

"Still nothing," one of the techs announced.

Goldar was done waiting. He wasn't sure if this machine had anything else to offer, but he didn't care. Their last attack might have been effective if they could have sustained it for more than a fraction of a second; their previous attacks hadn't even made it passed the Zord's kinetic shielding. With a sigh Goldar unsheathed the blades from Cyclopsis' gauntlets, the shimmering blades screamed from the wrists hungry for combat. With a sudden burst of speed Cyclopsis flew forward. The Proto Zord raised its mace hand to attack, but Goldar quickly cut it from the body in a quick slash before slashing through the other arm as well. The two limbs fell to the ground sending up a spray of concrete and soil as they hit the ground.

Two more cannon shots hit Cyclopsis in the face consuming it in flames. A flash of energy beams leapt from the fire cutting the cannons from the Zord's shoulders. Goldar was quick to retract the wrist blades and took hold of the Zord as its cannons fell to the ground below. With a sudden jerk he hoisted the Zord from its feet and lifted it into the air. Raising it above his head he turned and hurled it into the Washington Memorial, the Zord crossed the four block distance in a matter of seconds shattering the marble pillar in a spray of white stone.

Immediately Cyclopsis opened its missile bays and launched a volley into the fallen Zord. The war heads easily penetrated the titanium torso of the Proto Zord. With a thunderous explosion the Zord was ripped apart from the inside as the warhead detonated setting off internal munitions sending a fireball into the sky.

On the ground below many of the Exo-Ranger suits began to open fire on Cyclopsis, their attacks nothing more than a nuisance to Goldar. With a roar Goldar ejected from the cockpit unfurling his wings and falling toward the soldiers below.

Suddenly Vexacus and Scorpina emerged from their hiding place in the rubble of the Capital Building. Vexacus unleashed a blast of energy from his hand burning through the body of one of the Exo-Rangers as Scorpina threw her sword, the weapon carved through several soldier in a spray of blood and hydraulic fluid before returning to her. Goldar dropped into the fray, bullets ricocheting from his golden armor.

He quickly ran the suit closest to him through with his sword before tearing the blade up the front of another, slicing the soldier in half before turning and cutting another in half at the waist. Vexacus stepped in slashing his sword through two soldiers, twisting out of the way of their weapons fire as they fell away.

Scorpina dodged an attack from a soldier only to have the bullets rip up the side of another of the Exo-Rangers, hydraulic fluid oozed from the suit as it bent forward. Scorpina threw her blade at the attacker cutting the head of the armor from the suit. As it returned she caught it and slashed through the immobilized suit insuring the pilot's death.

"This is nothing more than child's play," Vexacus said as he cut through another suit.

"At least it's combat," Goldar growled as he clove through another soldier splitting him down the middle, blood spraying onto his armor.

Within minutes the last of the Exo-Rangers fell leaving the area a mess of blood, oil, and metal. Vexacus plunged his sword through the body of one of the dead soldier and took a seat on another suit of armor.

"I really expected a little more from these humans." He said looking around.

"There isn't a single one who is a match for us," Scorpina said.

"There was one," Goldar replied licking the splattered blood around his mouth. "But he's dead now."

"So you've given up?" Vexacus asked.

"I thought he might have been hiding, biding his time," Goldar said looking around. "But if he hasn't come to stop us now he really must be dead."

"Let's get out of here," Vexacus said as he rose and pulled his sword from the body. "Maybe we can find a good fight somewhere else."

In a burst of flames and light the three warriors vanished leaving nothing but carnage in their wake.

"Commander Deviot all ships have reported in, annihilation of military targets is complete." The Quantron said.

"Very good," Deviot replied. "Have all ships deploy suppression pods and begin prioritizing cities for citizen processing."

"Command relayed."

With a flash of light hundreds of thousands of suppression pods began to pour from the bows of the warships, the egg shaped vessels where barely the size of a Velocifighter, each one black with a single glowing red ring running around the middle of the device. One by one the rings around the shell began to turn green, each pod linking with the others to form a network before falling to the planet.

Each pod buried itself into the center of a populated area extending a shield barrier over the city or town sealing the inhabitants inside. Then with a biometric pulse the contained populous was numbered and classified and the data transmitted to the fleet. With the shield activated and the life forms cataloged a holographic message began to play in a loop projected from the device. An image appeared of an armored fist clutching a burning world in its grasp, the symbol of the thirty-seventh fleet. Each pod played the message using the regional language as gathered by the intelligence officers prior to conquest.

"Citizens, your defense forces have been defeated and destroyed. You are now a part of the glorious Empire of Lord Zedd. Your province will be processed into the Empire as soon as possible. You will find that escape is impossible. If the shield barrier is deactivated our fleet will immediately destroy your province. Remain calm and cooperate quietly and you will find peace under Lord Zedd's rule. Resistance will not be tolerated, any acts of defiance will result in the immediate termination of the person responsible and all those associated with them. Lord Zedd's will be done, you will comply." The message continued to loop.

People began to gather around the display watching the message in disbelief. Above them the sky wavered between red and purple as the suppression field fluctuated between a range of frequencies. Beneath the street the generator within the pod hummed, the outer shell glowing with its own defensive shielding, though no one suspected the true menace contained within the pod.

Each pod not only used modulating shielding to contain a local population within the fifty kilometer range, but the device was also equipped with a high-yield fusion warhead. In the event that the shield was disabled, or a military detachment was unable to arrive and institute compliance in the province before the power cells expired, the pod would detonate wiping out everything within one-hundred kilometers.

"Suppression complete," the Quantron relayed. "By thermal scans it is estimated that ninety-four point six three percent of the remaining population has been incarcerated."

"Have all targets been prioritized for compliance and compilated in the main database?" Deviot asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then distribute orders to the rest of the fleet to begin with compliance procedures and dispatch sweeper teams to clear out any lose elements. Then notify Lord Zedd that the planet has been suppressed."

"Yes, sir, orders are being transmitted."

Deviot rose from his command chair and began to walk toward the forward display. His gaze was fixed on the green and blue sphere before him dotted with the shifting glow of the suppression fields and the burning fires from the bombardment. There was always so much chaos at the beginning, but soon enough there would be order.

Rito was standing before a series of holographic glyphs projecting up from the black cube that sat ominously on the table before him. The glyphs rotated slowly, surrounded by an aura of red light. Reaching out he touched a series of the glyphs in sequence, each one locked into a forward facing position, its aura shifting to a light blue. Hitting the sixth glyph the other icons fell away as the display shifted showing a map of the universe, a series of galaxies could be seen, each like a swirling jewel in the void. With a rapid shift the image began changing as each glyph was processed and a location was locked onto, finally coming to rest on a single planet in Galaxy M-Fifty-one.

An image flickered to life of a shadowy figure with piercing yellow eyes that glowed palely. The creature had large protrusions from each side of its head, a cross between horns and ears. A dark cloak was draped over the body under which a gloss black armor gleamed faintly in the small amount of light coming from the holographic display.

"Ah, Rito, what news?" the deep voice asked, its tone very calm, almost twistedly soothing.

"Father," Rito replied with a shallow bow. "It seems that Lord Zedd has begun the compliance of Earth."

"What of the Power Rangers?" Master Vile asked leaning forward, light faintly illuminating his weathered and aged skin.

His face was that of an old man, a pair of reading glasses sat on the tip of his small nose resting just below his eyes. His skin was a pallid blue streaked by stripes of sickly yellow.

"It appears that they were all destroyed."

"Do you know when Lord Zedd plans to move on?"

"If past conquests are any indication, it is likely that he will move on within a month or two."

"That would require us to greatly accelerate our plans," Master Vile said looking down as if contemplating the matter. "Do you suppose that he could be delayed?"

"We do not have sufficient influence within his empire to affect such a delay." Rito replied.

"This is troubling. I will have to consult with Darkonda."

"I have not heard from Darkonda in sometime," Rito replied.

"Nor have I, I only hope he was able to secure the allies we will need to oppose Lord Zedd."

"How are your own experiments coming Father?"

"The Kimera are still unstable, it's the constant shifting of their genomatrix." Master Vile sighed. "I can't seem to find a way around it."

"I might have a solution," Rito replied having a sudden inspiration. "I have someone here who might be able to help you."

"Who?"

"A new recruit, he is currently dead, but I can remedy that soon enough,"

"No," Vile said. "Better to bring him through the Nether as is; we run less risk of exposure."

"Of course, forgive my careless thought father,"

The Nether, a shadow realm of impending void; in truth it was not another realm in the sense of a dimensional expanse, it was a thin strip of space hanging between material and immaterial; a place of transition between existence and nothingness. It took great skill to walk upon the razor's edge of oblivion, and even under his control such an unpredictable creature as a Psycho Ranger would likely not survive the trip, falling into nonexistence, or worse, slipping back into the material world. If he was discovered their presence would be made known to Lord Zedd and endanger all of them.

"Remember to consider all your options Rito and not act in haste," his father said chastening him. "If you do not, you will walk the fool's path, to your own demise."

"I will try to do better father," Rito said, his shame apparent.

"Very good, then I will seek to contact Darkonda and await your arrival."

"It seems you are not as perfect as you claim." Olympius' voice came from behind him as the image vanished.

Rito whirled around taking his sword from its sheath. In a flash he had crossed the room and slashed the weapon down Olympius' chest cutting through his golden chest plate sending a spray of black sludge splattering across the floor. Before the demon could react Rito had slammed one arm into his chest and pressed his sword blade against his neck forcing him back against the wall.

"I know that cutting your head from your body won't kill you," Rito said glaring into Olympius' eyes. "But unless you want to spend the next twenty millennia looking for your head, lose your arrogant attitude."

"If my mother were here…" Olympius began before Rito pushed the sword into his neck cutting through the flesh and severing his vocal cords.

"Your mother is not here, if Queen Bansheera was here Lord Zedd would have already destroyed her, you are nothing! You hide behind your royal birth as if it makes you powerful, but your power was given to you by Lord Zedd, and what he has given can be taken in an instant, of all those here you are the weakest, and your confidence in your own power will be your downfall."

With a final thrust Rito threw the demon to the ground leaving him to bleed on the chamber floor. From the doorway Loki looked on with disgust. He knew Rito spoke the truth, if this whelp was allowed to continue in this manner he would be the death of them all.

"Lord Rito," Loki said stepping into the chamber bowing, though his massive form still towered over Rito.

"What is it?" Rito asked curbing his anger.

"Please allow me to train the young prince, I know he is arrogant and undisciplined, entrust him to me and I will see that he is made into the great warrior he believes himself to be."

Rito considered Loki's request as he paced the floor near the whelp. Blood was still seeping from the wound in his chest and neck coagulating in a pool on the floor. He had no intent of killing the prince today, at least not without the approval of Diabolico, still he doubted that anything could change this whelp into a warrior if even his own death had not stirred him to reconsider his ways.

"What do you think whelp?" Rito asked kicking Olympius on his back, his blade poised over the darkness where the demon's heart should be. "Do you have any desire to become more than the pathetic creature you are, or should I end your miserable existence?"

For the first time Rito saw the smallest hint of fear in Olympius' eyes as he contemplated Rito's words. He tired to speak, but found that nothing more than a shallow wisp of air escaped his mouth.

"Face him or me," Rito said pushing the blade between the tear in the armored plate, resting the blade on the demon's flesh.

The fear in Olympius' eyes burned as he pointed toward Loki. Rito drew his weapon back returning it to the sheath, the skeletal frame closing around the weapon intermeshing the blade with sheath.

"I leave him to you," Rito said walking passed Loki toward the door. "But," he began, turning in the doorway. "Should you fail, the next time I will not only kill you, I will see you thrown to the void and devoured."

Loki remained kneeling until Rito left the room. Rising from his place he stood over Olympius looking down on his battered body. With a low rumble he uttered a sigh. What had he gotten himself into?

"What was all the commotion about?" Diabolico asked as Rito stormed passed him toward the tombs.

"A lesson in humility," Rito said stepping through one of the doors.

On the other side of the stone slab was the Blue Psycho Ranger, or the remains of him. His torso had been split up the middle cutting through ribs and sternum and even his Morpher. The black device still clung to his ribs, apparently attached surgically. Within the chest cavity the blue gem glowed faintly, having barely escaped destruction along with the Morpher when it fell from its setting. The cut had also split the jaw and ran up the face ending about halfway up the nose. Whatever had done this made a clean cut with surgical precision. While it may seem the attack failed, having missed the jewel which powered the Morpher, the strike had bisected the Psycho Ranger's heart insuring a near instantaneous and permanent death, at least without the aid of necromancy.

Diabolico entered the room as Rito scooped up the body in his arms.

"Where are you taking him?" Diabolico asked.

"To my father, he could have use of him, I'll return shortly."

"Very well, should we prepare the others for reanimation while you are gone?"

"No," Rito replied. "I think your energies would be best spent completing the gate, we may have to accelerate our plans."

"As you wish Lord Rito," Diabolico said with a bow.

The space around Rito suddenly grew dark as lithe tentacles reached out from within him enshrouding him in blackness. Then as suddenly as it had appeared the darkness dispersed like a mist leaving no trace of Rito or Psycho Blue.

"Your will my Lord?" Ryan asked stepping forth from a shadow cast on the wall.

"I think we should finish the gate," Diabolico replied. "We can worry about the rest later."

"As you wish," Ryan replied, his form phasing back into the darkness.

Lord Zedd stood on the balcony of the Lunar Palace spreading his arms wide. Energy began to arc from his hands as the palace began to tremble. In a blinding flash of light the Palace vanished from its foundation on the surface of the moon rematerializing in the crater at ground zero in Angel Grove. Lord Zedd exhaled slowly, lowering his arms as the rumbling subsided and the last sparks jumped over the surface of his black gauntlets.

At last, after ten thousand years the Palace was back on Earth. Lord Zedd looked out over the barren, charred terrain. The crater in which the Palace sat was over a mile wide and sunk down near a thousand feet gently sloping upward. Raising his hands upward Lord Zedd caused the entire Palace to rise to ground level as a pillar of black marble rose from the ground beneath, manifested by nothing more than the will of the Dark Lord. Extending his right arm over the land he caused an arched bridge to rise from the ashes closing the gap between the main gate of the Palace and the edge of the crater.

Then, in the depths of the chasm, Putties began to rise from the blackened ground, each one as dark as the ground from which it came. The ground swelled covering the ground in throngs of the stone golems. Then, as if one single mind drove them, they began moving toward the edge of the crater slowly marching up the slope.

The darkness was hardly noticeable in Master Vile's laboratory as Rito emerged from the Nether. Glancing around he could see that his father was absent at the moment and set Psycho Blue down on the altar that occupied the center of the room. On the far side of the room were several crystal tubes containing strange beasts suspended in an icy blue liquid. Rito made his way toward the display moving around the ancient artifacts and arcane instruments that littered the various tables spread throughout the room.

Slowly he placed his hand on the first of the crystal cylinders looking at the creature inside. The beast was a mixture of technology and flesh. Small interlocking hexagonal plates ran over the body forming a sort of shape shifting armor. At key points a larger plate had been attached, surgically implanted into the creature as an anchor point for the rest of the armor.

The current specimen was partly wolf in appearance, though distinctly a biped. The hands had a more insect look to them with large scythes protruding from the joint. Crude fingers were still present on both sides of the claw, though it appeared they would be of little use in manipulating anything significant. Twin tentacles hung from the neck with barbed clubs on the end. As Rito leaned in he could see evidence that the jaw was unhinged.

"Magnificent isn't it?" Master Vile said coming into the laboratory.

"Are these the new Kimera?" Rito asked.

"This one is actually a much earlier experiment," Master Vile said rotating the tank. "You see this device integrated with the spine?"

The mechanism in question was little more than a pod fixed to the back in a similar hexagonal armor pattern.

"Yes," Rito replied.

"I am seeking to make this the only piece of armor that is required."

"Then how will these creatures defend themselves?" Rito asked.

"The same way all living things do Rito," Master Vile said walking toward the altar in the center of the room. "Life has adapted to survive in any environment and condition in the known universe, with such information installed in my Kimera they too will be able to adapt to any conditions in order to survive. Assuming of course that this thing you brought me can help."

"He should be able to," Rito replied moving to join his father.

"Is this what I think it is?" Master Vile asked running his hand over the damaged remains of the Morpher.

"Yes, it has a greater power output than the one Rita made, but it appears to follow the same design principles."

"And this must be the power source," Vile replied reaching into the chest cavity of Blue and pulling out the burning gem.

"Yes, the others have similar ones."

"And how many did you say there were?"

"Five in all," Rito replied. "One was reduced to ashes, which is beyond my skills to reanimate."

"Hmmm," Rito wasn't sure if his father was agreeing or contemplating something else. "Now why is it this one should be able to help me?"

"From the information we've gathered he's highly intelligent, he was the one who created the miniaturized OMP shield generator I told you about."

"Really? Are you sure it was this one?"

"Yes, the information we got from the active one was very thorough."

"In that case I will have to revive him at once," Master Vile said as he began to gather various icons and items from around the laboratory.

"I am glad you are pleased father, but I must now take my leave to ensure things on Earth remain on track."

"Of course,"

With no further words between them Rito vanished into darkness leaving Master Vile to his work.

People filed down the street escorted by Quantron soldiers with combat blades while others with rifles patrolled the rooftops of nearby buildings. It had been three days since the sky had been blotted out by the twilight of the suppression field. Early that morning the Processing Center, a large box shaped craft, had descended through the apex of the barrier and settled over the Suppression Pod. Quantrons had been quick to disembark and secure a perimeter around the two story ship. The corners of the ship had then expanded from the sides creating four towers, each having firing points on both the ground and upper levels, and a platform on top which soon had a turret mounted cannon installed and operational.

After days of hysteria and futile attempts at escape many were glad to finally have the Quantrons present to restore order. However, there were some who did not share this sentiment and had been executed on the spot through whatever means the Quantrons currently had available. No form of resistance or defiance had been tolerated. Children had been executed as they clung to their parents refusing to be separated, and parents conversely put to death for stopping to grieve. The bodies had been heaped in a pile in the center of town near the Processing Center as a reminder to all the remaining citizens that disobedience would not be tolerated for any reason. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh as the Quantrons continued to throw on the bodies of those who had tried in vain to avoid capture and those who had died during the days before their coming.

Food stores had also been confiscated, what little still existed in the town, and taken to the Processing Center. Worker drones had been dispatched which were quickly breaking down existing structures and reassembling the materials into the Supply Nexus, one of the hundreds of thousands of identical structures that had already been established in other provinces. While the device was a hub for monitoring a local population and ensuring quotas were met and the inhabitants were kept in check, it also was used as a distribution point for the Empire's slaves to provide food and water rations to those who had been encoded in addition to any raw materials that might be required for various projects or manufacturing.

A man stepped into the Processing Center passing through a sensor net to ensure he was unarmed. He was quickly moved on to one of several cylindrical doors that ran the length of the wall. The door slid open appearing to be little more than a tube. The man was quickly pushed in as the door whirled shut behind him. A series of lasers activated cutting through his clothing with unnerving precision before a vacuum activated below him sucking away the scraps. The room began to move slowly along a preset path. Coming to a stop once more a series of lights began to flash killing off hair follicles and radiologically sterilizing the man's reproductive functions. A vacuum engaged again pulling away every last hair and eyelash leaving the man completely hairless.

Suddenly an intense pain raced up the man's neck as a thick needle implanted a Compliance Chip at the base of his neck before a press branded a series of glyphs at the base of his skull and down his spine. The chip not only provided a way to track the target but also contained information concerning the subject's genetic make up and a small explosive capable of severing the head from the body, hence the branding at the base of the skull and down the spine should some act of disobedience result in the two becoming separated. The chip was inserted in a nerve cluster at the base of the neck drawing its power from the subjects own bioelectric signature.

The genetic information was also invaluable for selected breeding in the Empire. While it was dangerous to allow a population to grow unchecked it was also necessary to maintain a supply of slave labor. Since all citizens had undergone sterilization the only way to reproduce was through the use of genetic engineering allowing for a creation of gene spawn, as they were commonly referred to within the Empire, from the best stock available in a given province. Like nearly every function carried out in a province this was also handled at the Supply Nexus. Gene spawn were of great value to a compliant world's prosperity, being grown artificially it was possible to encourage the formation of neural patterns that increased docility in subjects as well as discouraging the normal development of physiological mechanisms that were undesirable, such as the production of adrenaline in humans.

Many of the worlds that had been conquered in the early phases were already seeing the benefits of the breeding program. A new generation of slaves that did not question the rule of the Empire and worked efficiently thanks to the educational system that had been developed for the gene spawn. This process was also aided by the lack of deep personal bonds between gene spawn and the original stock material. While it was inevitable that bonds would be formed, by severing the parental bond that existed in nearly all sentient creatures it became easier to reduce collaboration between slaves in subversive matters to a state of near non-existence. While it was still too early to be certain many Empire scientists believed that this could be eliminated after several generations had been replaced and all memories of the stock material forgotten. This system of control made the use of machines nearly unnecessary as salves were easier to maintain and were expendable and easily recycled into food stock for those remaining.

The man suddenly found himself seized by the arms and legs as a dark gray material was pressed against the front and back of his body. Two clasps were punched through at the shoulders and at the waist before the two sheets of material were welded together by a series of lasers, forming a skin tight weave of insulating material around the subject. The fabric was resistant to electrical current, heat, cold, water, and was incredibly durable; one suit would usually last the life of a normal subject.

With his clothing in place the man was expelled from the rear of the Processing Center where many others, now nearly identical in appearance, stood around a holographic display which was informing the new citizens that, once completed, they could report to the Supply Nexus to receive rations of food and water. Each citizen was now the property of Lord Zedd, as such any acts of aggression taken against another citizen would result in death. Work would be assigned on a daily basis initially as the infrastructure of the Empire was established. Meeting quota would result in full rations for the day while any reduction in work output would be deducted from the daily ration allotment. All citizens were to report to the Supply Nexus at the beginning of each solar cycle for daily announcements and work detail.

The man walked away from the display as the information was repeated again. More people were expelled from the Processing Center. The man sat down on the steps of a building, the Quantrons keeping an eye on those who had been processed. He put his hand over his mouth trying to block the horrible odor that was wafting from the burning mound of corpses as he contemplated the grim outlook of his future.

"What have you to report Commander Deviot?' Astronema asked looking at the projected image.

"All commands have reported in, compliance was completed with only seventeen provinces lost due to Suppression Pod failure."

"How many slaves were lost during compliance?" Astronema asked.

"Nearly one billion in all," Deviot replied coldly. "We expect to make up those losses within the next decade through gene spawn."

"Are all the Supply Nexus centers working properly?"

"Yes Empress."

"Very good Commander." Astronema replied signaling Ecliptor to cut the transmission.

The image vanished from the display. It had been six days since the invasion and things continued to go smoothly. Even losses on this world were considerably less than those on other worlds. She was certain that Earth's lack of technological advancement compared to other former Alliance worlds was partly responsible, though they might have done more to resist if the Rangers still existed. There had always been a degree of uncertainty in her mind concerning that day; she never trusted appearances unless she could verify the results, both she and Lokar had kept a constant vigil for any signs that the Rangers had survived; though as the days continued forward unhindered she became more convinced that the Power Rangers had been destroyed in the attack. The only matter that still weighed on her mind was the survey that had been conducted of the former Command Center site. While little had been found in the way of salvage there was no sign of Zord fragments, she naturally expected that nothing of the Rangers themselves would be left; but that nothing remained from the vast number of Zords present in the Command Center at the time of its destruction… they should have found something.

There was always the possibility that she was merely being paranoid. She had no reason to believe that the Ranger had survived. In some part of her mind however she simply found it hard to believe that Lord Zedd had won, or maybe she didn't want him to win.

"Empress?" Ecliptor spoke interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You seem conflicted, is everything alright?"

"I don't know," Astronema sighed. "I was thinking about transferring somewhere else after this operation, maybe the Nillain Fringe?"

"You know whatever your desire, I will always stand by you Empress."

"I know, thank you," she said with a smile before her demeanor shifted quickly back. "Bring the Dark Fortress into high orbit and inform Lord Zedd."

"Yes Empress."

Above Lord Zedd's Palace the Dark Fortress began to rise, heading back into the heavens.

"We should have the gate complete soon," Vypra said. "Do you know what they want it for?"

"I believe they intend to use two of these gates to form a solid connection between their own world and Earth using this Nether realm that they use for long distance travel. These gates are supposed to make the journey easier so they can begin moving their armies through in mass."

"Supposed to? So they aren't certain?"

"No," Diabolico replied. "We have little choice but to go along with this plan however, we can not oppose Lord Zedd alone and I am beginning to think that Lord Rito has no interest in Earth beyond the destruction of Lord Zedd. Besides, it also appears that this method of travel also goes unnoticed by Lord Zedd and we can always benefit from that."

"Do you think they will leave it to us in the end?"

"It is hard to say at this point, so much is still unclear."

"So we are going to continue on the…"

"Lord Diabolico," Ryan said stepping through a shadow on the wall into the main chamber. "I have important news. Excuse me," he said with a bow to Vypra whom he had just interrupted.

"What is it?" Diabolico asked.

"Lord Zedd has announced that this world will become a bastion world for this sector of space."

"What does this mean?" Diabolico asked.

Before Ryan could answer Rito entered the room apparently having overheard part of the conversation. "It means that Lord Zedd will be here longer than we had initially thought."

"Why is that?" Vypra asked.

"A bastion world is the pinnacle of military power in Lord Zedd's Empire. These worlds are heavily fortified to withstand orbital bombardment and have sufficient planetary defenses to destroy several fleets. Armies have tried to defeat Lord Zedd before such worlds could be completed as no known sovereign power can remove them once established. It is because of these inevitable attacks that I can be almost certain that Lord Zedd and the thirty-seventh fleet will remain in order to defend the planet until construction is complete."

"If this is true why announce it?" Diabolico asked.

"Beyond Lord Zedd's arrogance, announcing such an ambitious project raises the morale of his forces and it is a direct challenge to those who would seek to over throw him."

"So it's a trap then?" Olympius asked entering the main chamber along with Loki.

"It is intended to be, yes." Rito replied happy to see the young prince had learned some restraint in the brief time Loki had been training him.

"Then we will not attack?" Olympius asked.

"Oh we'll attack," a voice said from the shadows.

Everyone turned as a creature of flesh and metal emerged from the darkness, his burning red eyes locked onto Rito.

"We'll attack, but in a way that the arrogant fool will never see coming."

"Lord Darkonda," Rito replied taken aback.

The lights flickered again as the samurai stepped toward Psycho Red and Psycho Blue. Neither Psycho Ranger made an attempt to move. Blue's head slumped to one side as he fought to stay awake. With a quick strike the samurai plunged his blade into Blue's stomach and ripped it up the front of his body splitting his face up through his nose. With an explosion of blue particles the Psycho Ranger demorphed and slumped to the ground bleeding pools of black syrup.

Then with another quick set of strikes Red's throat was cut open spilling a dark fluid down his chest before the tip of the blade was plunged through his heart. Red's body convulsed and then demorphed in a spray of red sparks before his head fell forward. There was a cough as black ooze poured from his mouth and then he was silent.

The two warriors looked around the room at the shocked Rangers. Adam and Zhane were both lying on the floor. Ashley and Andros suddenly noticed Zhane's wound.

"Zhane!" Andros shouted pulling himself to his knees and dragging himself to his friend's side.

All the Rangers' attention was directed toward Zhane as Andros tried unsuccessfully to rouse his friend. Andros removed his helmet looking at his friend at a loss to do anything, his hands resting on the charred helmet of the Silver Ranger.

"Zhane," Andros repeated softly as his head dropped. "Please wake up."

Kimberly watched through the tears in her own eyes as the samurai walked toward Andros and Zhane stepping over the corpses that littered the floor. Kneeling next to Zhane's body the warrior removed the burned helmet. Andros grimaced and turned away, a tear rolling down his cheek as Ashley came to his side. Zhane's head was burned away where Psycho Yellow's plasma bolt had hit it, leaving a charred hole around blackened flesh and hair.

The samurai paused for a moment before laying his hands on the Silver Ranger. Pale green fire began emanating from his hands engulfing Zhane's body. The glow began to intensify and Andros turned back watching in disbelief as the wound in Zhane's head began to close until it had vanished, leaving no trace of the attack. With a quiet moan Zhane turned slightly before inhaling deeply.

"He's alive!" Ashley said, tears running down her face. "But how?"

The Samurai's head turned toward her as he reached back to remove his helmet. Suddenly the Command Center began to shake. There was a loud thunderous boom and then everything went white.

"Kimberly?"

She could hear someone calling her name. Was she dead? Was she dreaming? She heard it again. Slowly she became consciously aware of her own existence. Her body began to move as she began to gradually awaken.

"Good, you're awake," the familiar voice said.

Her eyes opened slowly trying to focus, "Josh?"


	18. Chapter 18

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-18-

As Kimberly's eyes adjusted to the low light she began to make out the face smiling at her.

"Josh!" she exclaimed sitting up and throwing her arms around him.

She could feel the warmth from his body, the strength in his arms as he embraced her.

"Is this a dream?" she whispered.

"No, this is real," Josh replied. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long,"

"Where have you been?" she asked trying to hide the hurt she still felt.

"Do want the long or short version?" he asked.

Kimberly let go as Josh sat back, his eyes staying fixed with hers. She blushed slightly and glanced down at the floor.

"Where are we?" she asked suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings.

The room was dimly lit with a pale blue light. Several other mats were lying on the floor, Adam was still lying in one; Zhane was in another, both were unconscious, though whether they were sleeping or it was something more serious she didn't know. The rest of the mats were empty, but looking around she counted twelve in all. The walls and floors were made of a white marble that reflected the low light well, bathing the whole room in the gentle glow.

"I think I should show you," Josh replied offering her his hand as he rose.

Kimberly suddenly noticed his clothes. He was wearing some form of sleeveless Gi. The top was green with black buttons running down both sides held in place with golden laces. His pants were black with plain black shoes; his arms had jade green bracers running over his forearms with golden artwork of a dragon. Hesitating for a moment she reached out slowly and took it. She stumbled slightly as she stood up. Josh caught hold of her putting an arm around her waist.

"Careful," he said. "You've been unconscious for awhile."

"How long?" she asked as she regained her balance.

"Nearly three months," Josh replied.

Kimberly suddenly felt her knees give way, the news coming as a shock. Josh held her, keeping her from falling to the ground.

"Easy,"

"Are the other's here too?" she asked trying to right herself.

"Yes," Josh replied helping her take a step forward. "As of now Zhane and Adam are the only ones who haven't woken up yet."

There was a moment of silence as Kimberly tried to process all of this in her head. She had so many questions. Where had Josh been? Why hadn't he returned sooner? What had happened to Earth? She had been asleep for three months, so much probably had happened, were the others still fighting against Zedd?

Josh led her out the decorated arch doorway at the end of the chamber into a circular room that was nearly overgrown with vines. A small pool of water was in the center of the room, two paths were carved into the floor running to the left and right, but the water level had dropped below the bottom of these paths. Something about this place looked eerily familiar to Kimberly, as if she had seen it in a dream.

The strength began to return to her legs and she straightened up and began to walk more confidently. Josh removed his arm from her waist and locked it around her arm escorting her through the huge double doors at the front of the room. Kimberly placed her other hand on top of his arm and leaned her head sleepily against his shoulder.

The massive door opened before them, moved by some unseen force. Brilliant blue light beamed in through the doorway and Kimberly gasped, left breathless by the vision of beauty that greeted her. Stretched out before her was a vast city of glimmering white marble, many buildings had been over grown with ivy, but the brilliance of the structures still radiated from beneath the vines. Elaborate crystal work could be seen everywhere. Then beyond the walls was the glowing blue splendor that surrounded the city. It appeared to be some type of shielding that shimmered in a crystal sea blue. Beyond it she could see fish and other marine life swimming as if through the air.

"I know this place," she said finding her voice again.

"Welcome to Athellon," Josh said.

"Are we under the water?"

"Yes and no," Josh replied. "We're actually in a pocket dimension, we can still see out, but to the outside world we're invisible and anything that came into contact with us would merely pass through the space we occupied because we're not really there."

"But when? How?" Kimberly stuttered.

"Come on," Josh said pointing toward the railing that over looked the city. "I'll explain."

As the two came to the railing Kimberly released Joshua's arm and leaned against the railing. Josh took a moment to collect his thoughts; starring out over the city Kimberly suddenly noticed he looked very different. While it was true that his physical appearance was the same there was something in his eyes, an understanding or awareness that she had never seen before.

"I guess I should start with what happened when I attacked Serpentera." Josh said with a sigh. "I was in the mouth of the creature drifting into a position to fire on the weapon array, and then…"

Josh could see the waves of energy come into view as the Dragon Zord continued its rotation, the burning, arcing light blotting everything else from sight, filling the cockpit with a blinding light. Josh tightened his grip on the controls as his life passed before his eyes. With a final exhalation he pulled the trigger firing all of his plasma cannons into the radiant maw of Serpentera. In an instant his world exploded in a blaze of white light that was impossibly brighter than the inferno of the array. He shut his eyes tightly expecting to see the fields of the other world and the cherry blossom trees when they opened.

Yet when his eyes did opened he found himself standing in complete darkness, then a gleam of light became faintly visible. As the golden light began to intensify he could see his Power Coin slowly spinning in the air before him. He reached out his hand to take it, but the coin moved forward. Instinctively Josh stepped forward to take hold of it, but it continued to move away from him and yet did not increase its distance from him.

With some reservation Josh began to walk after the coin, the golden icon continued to drift through the air leading him through the blackness. Without a point of reference Josh was unsure if he was really moving or not. The ground underneath him felt like stone, but he couldn't see what his feet were making contact with. It was as if he were walking through the air with nothing in any direction except darkness, the light of the coin only illuminating him.

After walking some distance Josh suddenly found himself standing before a large white door. It was peculiar and startling. One minute there had been nothing, and then suddenly the door had appeared as if it had manifest in the briefest fraction of time when he had blinked. The coin still hovered in the air before the door, its light now reflecting off the white surface. On one side of the door a towering image of a dragon was engraved in the material, the other side held the image of a phoenix.

Josh reached out and took hold of the coin, this time it did not resist him. As his hand closed around it the twin doors opened revealing a world beyond all comprehension. The interior looked similar to imperial palaces he had seen in China and Japan, but the nature of the room was far more primal in nature, if such a concept could be visualized. The room seemed almost alive, one minute it appeared as a raging sea, the next a towering mountain. From brilliant blue skies spread with white clouds to the raging power of fire the room pulsated with raw elemental power. Josh struggled to comprehend what he was seeing, but it was beyond anything he had experienced, he lacked the words to describe it, except to say that it felt like life and death, felt soothing and fierce, powerful and gentle as if all that had ever been or experienced was in the room or rather it made up the room.

On the far end he could see two forms sitting upon thrones that shifted like everything else within the expanse. The two individuals seemed to have taken notice of him and rose, walking across the elegant chaos with a grace that defied all imagination. Josh turned to run but found that the door through which he had entered no longer existed.

"Take heart young warrior," came a gentle feminine voice that roared with the power of a burning fire. "We have not spared your life to bring harm to you."

"What do you want with me?" Josh asked.

"We have brought you here for a purpose," came strong masculine voice that drifted by him like a gentle breeze.

"Who are you?" Josh asked becoming more apprehensive as the two beings came closer.

He could see their forms clearly now. One appeared to be a man with brilliant white hair and powerful blue eyes that held the power of the tempest sea. His body was wrapped in resplendent robes of water and cloud, a living breathing environment that still held its form and contrast around him.

The other was a woman, her hair blazed in dazzling red flame, her eyes were the deepest brown and unyielding like the earth. Her body was covered in a stunning gown of magma and flames. A single fiery jewel rested on her chest below her neck, shifting between deep reds and pinks to fiery oranges and yellows, though what held it there was a mystery.

"I am Lord Tiamat," The man replied, his voice sounding like the rush of water.

"And I am Lady Phoenix," The woman replied her voice rumbling with the power of an earthquake.

"Those are the…" Kimberly began.

"Yes," Josh replied. "Those are the Dragon and the Phoenix, the immortal beings whose power we draw upon through the Construct."

"What did they want with you?" she asked.

"They brought me there to train me," Josh said. "I know this will be hard for you to believe, but in the few weeks that you perceived I was gone for, I've actually been gone for around five years."

"What?" Kimberly replied in shock. "You don't look like you've aged."

"Tiamat and Phoenix aren't bound by time in the sense that you and I think of, they can move in and out of time as they please. Without time they simply do not age, they simply are. So while I was in their realm I also didn't age."

"I'm not sure I understand all of that, but what I want to know is if they could have returned you to any point why didn't they send you back immediately?" she asked.

"Because you all had things to learn and growth of your own that had to be nurtured."

"Nurtured?" Kimberly said, her anger rising slightly as images of the past weeks flooded her mind. "Angel Grove was destroyed, our families were killed, so many people died, and they call this nurturing? Who are they to stand by and do nothing and then expect help from us?"

"It's more complicated than that," Josh replied. "I don't have all the answers, all I know is that this existence, this reality, is destined to end, this is not the way things are suppose to be."

"At least we agree on one thing." Kimberly said looking at the ground.

"Kim," Josh said softly, she looked up at him. "I'm not asking you to trust them, I'm asking you to trust me."

"Okay," she said half heartedly.

"In order for this existence to be restored there are events that need to unfold, I know you've been through a lot, I've seen everything that happened while I was away, I've seen how much you've suffered," he said sliding his hand over on top of hers. She looked up into his eyes, she could see the sincerity behind them, the understanding. She smiled sweetly, interlacing her fingers with his. "But this all has to happen; if it doesn't then this nightmare will never be over. They have seen the beginning and the end of all that is occurring, what they are working toward is life. If we only think of our own lives and what we've lost we condemn all those other worlds that Lord Zedd destroyed, we have to do our part to set things right."

Kimberly knew he was right. She was a Ranger; she had pledged her life to fight evil. While it didn't seem fair to her that she would have to sacrifice all that she loved to save the universe, she could not deny that it was selfish to demand her own happiness while the galaxy burned under the rule of Lord Zedd.

"Besides, they allowed me to interfere when you were fighting with Psycho Pink."

"That was you?" she asked.

"Yes," Josh replied. "They actually wanted me to go, they told me I had too, that you were of vital importance."

"So you wouldn't have come for me if they hadn't?" she teased.

"I would have come for you at the instant of my disappearance if they had let me," Josh replied starring deeply into her eyes.

Kimberly smiled feeling a little flustered.

"I know," she replied softly. "So are you saying that all this will go away one day and we'll get our families and our lives back; that I'll get to see my mom and brother again?"

"Yeah," Josh replied, his voice trailing off. "One day this will be nothing more than a bad dream."

"What will happen to you?" she asked. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know," Josh replied. "I don't know the outcome of anything, all I know is what has to be done, I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for anything," she said sliding closer to him along the railing.

"Kimberly!" Billy called out running up a flight of stairs to join them.

"I need to talk to you about something else later," Josh whispered as Billy approached.

Kimberly nodded causally as Billy reached the top of the steps. His clothes were dirty and stained, but his face beamed with excitement.

"Glad to see you're awake," Billy said. "How are you coping with all this?"

"I think I'm going to need a little time," she said. "This has all been a lot to take in."

"Yeah, it was," Billy agreed. "But when you're feeling up to it you should check this place out, it's amazing. To think we're the first people to come here since the Ath'zyn displaced it in this dimension over ten thousand years ago; it's a great scientific discovery!"

Josh laughed a little; Billy had been enthusiastic about the capital ever since he had awoken nearly a week ago. While some of the others had taken more time to readjust to the current circumstances Billy had taken to it quite naturally.

"Where are Jason and Tommy?" Josh asked.

"And Ashley?" Kimberly added.

"Jason and Tommy are down in one of the lower courtyards training, I think Rocky and Shawna are with them. Last time I saw Ashley this morning she and Andros were going for a walk around the city. How are Zhane and Adam?"

"Still unconscious," Josh replied. "They're completely healthy they just haven't woken up yet. There's really nothing we can do except wait, the human body I can heal, but the human spirit? That's another matter."

Billy nodded, then his expression changed as he remembered something, "Oh, Jason wanted me to ask you when we are going to get to meet the other warrior, the one in white?"

"Soon I hope," Josh replied. "He had a few matters to take care of. I'm hoping he'll return soon."

"Jason said he's been gone for sometime."

"Yeah," Josh replied with a nod. "Since before he woke up, I guess it's been close to a month."

"And that doesn't concern you?" Kimberly asked.

"When you meet him you'll understand," Josh said. "For now, why don't I help you find Ashley and then I need to go talk to Jason."

"We can just go find Jason," Kimberly said. "If Ashley's busy I don't need to interrupt."

"I don't think she'd mind," Josh offered. "She's spent time everyday talking to you hoping you'd wake up."

"It's okay," Kimberly said. "It's just a girl thing."

Josh shrugged. "Well I guess we'll head down to the courtyard then." He said pointing down the stairs.

"Alright," Billy said "I'm going to keep watch on the others, at least until Trip is done."

"How is he doing?" Josh asked suddenly remembering the situation.

Billy shook his head. "It hasn't been going well. Whatever Lord Zedd did to Circuit, Trip is having a hard time undoing."

"I wish there was more I could do to help," Josh replied. "I just don't understand this mix of technology and magic that Zedd employs."

"I wouldn't call it magic," Billy said. "More like a mastery of Quantum Mechanics that we have yet to realize."

"Call it what you want," Josh said. "But when someone can harness the soul of another being I call it magic."

"What are you talking about?" Kimberly asked.

"Zedd's armor contains the souls of defeated warriors, their eternal essence acts like a barrier around him, to even touch it does great harm to a person's own soul if they're not careful."

"I don't understand; how can he do that?" Kimberly asked.

"It's some artifact he uncovered, a sword and a suit of armor, I don't understand it either. But it's pointless to discuss now, let's go find Jason."

Kimberly and Josh began to head down the stairs as Billy began his ascent to the Citadel of Iledion.

Darkonda stood on the steps of Bansheera's Palace looking out into the darkness contemplating the path that they would all soon take. His thoughts were troubled still despite all their preparations. He had hoped to have gained more information by fabricating his demise. However, while it was true he had not learned how Lord Zedd seemingly knew everything about those who inhabited the universe at the time of his ascension it had become increasingly apparent that he did not know everything that occurred. It was this theory that he had tested, risking his own existence to verify his belief.

He initially had moved his clones to the war torn planet of KO-Thirty-five in order to safeguard his secret, but immediately after awakening in the chamber after his discovery on Thanos he had moved six of the remaining seven clones to another location, a secondary site he had established during the time he was impersonating Lord Zedd. He had allowed Ecliptor to come for him, though he had hoped to destroy his nemesis, the outcome was satisfactory enough to allow his experiment to proceed.

Once again he moved all but one of the clones and waited, more prepared this time for Ecliptor's tricks, but he never came. After a week of waiting no one had come. It was at this point that Darkonda realized that whatever knowledge Lord Zedd possessed was flawed somehow, incomplete. Whether he had some means to divine knowledge or simply relied on informants he could not be certain, but if Lord Zedd had a blind spot then there was a chance they could take him by surprise.

Still without knowing the source of his knowledge this play for power was a dangerous one, even for him. Should Lord Zedd learn of his survival it would be a simple matter for him to eliminate the rest of his clones ending his life permanently, assuming of course he could find them. It was this uncertainty that concerned him, but there was no way to discover the truth now without compromising his consortium of conspirators. They would strike in a week's time and there was still much to prepare. Banishing his doubts Darkonda turned walking back into the palace.

Blue sat quietly in his unmorphed state wrapped in a black robe in Master Vile's laboratory reading through a thick tome he had discovered behind one of the many bookcases that surrounded him. Like nearly everything else present it contained information about arcanum, something that Blue had come to see as a very imprecise form of science usually taking advantage of powers and abilities from outside sources that the authors of these books knew little about.

Still finding himself a zombie of sorts he was fascinated with the power that continued to imbue him with life despite the obvious state of his body. He did not understand why people feared power that gave life to things that were considered lifeless. What Master Vile had called Necromancy, a term he despised, he was beginning to see it as more about instilling the primal force of life in an inanimate object. If he could master this art he could fill anything he chose with a life force all its own. The only limiting principle that he had found thus far was the requirement of a soul, the secret source of power to all living things. This was likely the reason why Necromancy could only reanimate things that had once been alive, apparently this soul could be retrieved and put back into the being, like a machine losing its batteries, or something similar. So far however he had been unable to find any information as to how one could manufacture one of these souls, this was something he wished he could address Lokar on, but realized to do so would be suicidal.

He did enjoy the current form he was in, though he had discovered a catch to his new state. Apparently since the functions of his body had been damaged his soul's energy was being spent to maintain his body rather than the normal influx of nutrients that a true living being had. It was a very unnatural state, and one he did not fully understand. Unfortunately, as far as he had read, neither did any other necromancer.

"Idiots," Blue said closing the book.

He looked down at his chest, the black split still ran up through his flesh though he had since drilled several holes in his rib cage and inserted bolts and pulled his bones back together before welding thin plates from rib to rib. A metal band also ran over his pale flesh at his chin and upper lip. Unfortunately the reanimation process had been unable to restore his genetic integrity. His eyes were still blue pools like the eyes of a snake.

"What did you expect to find?" the voice asked.

"I was hoping for something a little scientific,"

"Who are you talking to?" Master Vile asked coming into the library.

"No one important," Blue replied.

Master Vile raised an eyebrow at his evasive comment. Blue had been a great help to him solving the stability issues in the Kimera's genomatrix in a matter of days, it seemed nothing was beyond his mental dexterity. With his primary task complete Blue had been allowed to repair his morpher, though Vile still held onto the jewel that powered it. He knew from Rito's reports that these Psycho Rangers were an abomination that thrived on violence and destruction. No matter how compliant Blue had been there was always the possibility that, should he regain his powers, he would turn on him in an instant. He had allowed him access to his library and Blue had seemed content to have a vast source of knowledge at his disposal, but over the last month the Psycho Ranger had grown increasingly annoyed and was rapidly becoming an issue of concern. He had often found Blue talking to himself, or someone who's presence was beyond his powers of perception. This had made him increasingly wary of the Psycho Ranger.

"Well," Master Vile began again forgetting the matter. "I have come to bring you back to Earth now that your work is complete here."

"My work's been done here for over a month," Blue replied. "So why now?"

"We're getting ready to move against Lord Zedd and despite some concerns about your group's…?"

"Mental instability," Blue offered.

"Something like that," Master Vile agreed. "We are allowing you to collaborate with your associates to work out a strategy of your own when we face Lord Zedd."

"In other words you don't want the five of us anywhere near you when you make your move."

"I wouldn't put it quiet like that."

"I have no complaints," Blue said. "The others are impulsive morons that have a tendency to ruin even the best laid plans. I'll keep them out of your hair, er, affairs."

"Very good, then let us depart." Master Vile said as he exited the library.

"Hold on," Blue said getting up. "There's one thing I want in exchange for my services."

Josh and Kimberly could see Jason and the others down in the courtyard as they began to descend the stairs to the next tier of the city, an expansive courtyard outside the secondary wall.

"What is with all the stairs?" Kimberly asked.

"It's easier to defend a location if you have high ground to fall back to," Josh replied.

"Maybe, but it makes getting around more difficult."

"I think it was easier when all the technology around here still worked."

"Why doesn't it? I thought it was powered by all the various crystals."

"Actually it's not. The city uses crystalline technology in the same way as your Morpher, but just like the Morpher uses the Power Coin, this city also had an outside source of power."

"And what was that?" Kimberly asked.

"The Rings of Seishi,"

"Are those the rings that the Masters took with them?"

"Yeah, the six Rings of Seishi, the Ring of Dawn, the Ring of Air, the Ring of Water, the Ring of Earth, the Ring of Fire, and the Ring of Twilight; the powers of life and the beginning and the end."

"What do they do?" she asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Josh replied. "I know they were given to the six Masters by the Dragon and the Phoenix and that they were the first icons to exist in this universe that allowed their power to be harnessed through the Construct. I know they can channel considerably more power than anything since created, but beyond that I don't know what they do, but I know there is a much higher purpose to them than simply some cosmic power line."

"Weird," Kimberly replied.

Descending from the stairs the two of them found themselves in the courtyard where Jason was teaching Shawna basic martial arts while Rocky and Tommy exchanged knowledge about their own styles. Jason suddenly noticed them.

"Okay, just run through the exercises I showed you again," he said to Shawna before turning toward Josh and Kimberly. "Kim, you're awake."

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "It's been an interesting half hour."

"Did Billy talk to you?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "I still have no word from my friend and we can't move until he gets back."

"I just wish we knew what was going on in the real world," Jason said.

"You're better off not knowing, believe me." Josh replied.

"So how are you feeling?" Jason asked looking at Kimberly.

"Okay I guess, just a little overwhelmed."

"How much has he told you?"

"Just about the dragon and phoenix, how he survived, and what they wanted."

"Well that almost puts you up to speed with the rest of us." Jason said. "I just wish he'd tell us the rest."

"I will," Josh replied. "But not until the right time."

"When will that be?" Kimberly asked.

"When Adam and Zhane are awake and the White Ranger returns." Josh replied turning toward Jason. "I need to discuss something with you in private."

"Sure," Jason nodded. "Shawna take a break," he called out.

"I'll just catch up with Shawna," Kimberly said excusing herself.

Josh and Jason walked out of earshot passing through one of the gates that led from the courtyard into the upper city. They stopped in the portico; Josh leaned against the marble wall.

"How are Shawna and Rocky progressing?" Josh asked crossing his arms.

Jason sighed. "Rocky has some good skills, but he doesn't have the experience, Shawna has great gymnastic abilities, but she's no fighter, we're still working on the basics."

"That's not encouraging," Josh replied. "Especially given what they want to do."

"I know," Jason replied. "But we still have to give them a chance don't we? I mean if it was one of us,"

Josh sighed looking up at the watery sky. "I agree we shouldn't forbid them to do this, I just don't want to see them die trying."

"Kim you're awake," Shawna said with a smile.

Kimberly smiled back, "How are you doing?" she asked. "We didn't know where you were when the Command Center was attacked."

"Aisha had tied me up and locked me in one of the storage rooms." She replied. "I could hear a lot of commotion outside; I remember the whole place shaking, then the next thing I know I'm waking up here. I heard about what happened though, that Aisha was being controlled by Lord Zedd, that she was now some sort of evil Ranger. Trip said the armor was from the Phantom Ranger, apparently he was one of the Alterians?"

"Eltarian," Kimberly corrected with a smile.

"Anyway, it turns out that Andros has a few extra Morphers on the Mega Ship, so Rocky and I've been working hard so that when we get out of here we can get Aisha back. Well, I think I'm having to work harder than Rocky is."

"You're going to be Rangers?"

"Well, at least long enough to get Aisha back."

"Shawna," Kimberly paused for a moment. "You know that three of my friends died when we tried to free Josh right."

Shawna bit her lip, "I had heard about it, Ashley and Adam took their places."

Kimberly nodded in response. "I'm not saying don't do it, I mean, I might have regretted it for awhile afterward, fighting to save someone I didn't even know and losing three good friends in the process. But in the end, if I had to do it all over again I would." She sighed. "I just want you to be careful, I don't want to lose anymore friends."

"I'll do my best," Shawna replied. "But right now my best friend needs my help and I can't stand by and do nothing."

"I know," Kimberly replied.

"So this is the Josh everyone kept talking about?" Shawna asked changing the subject as she nodded toward him.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied looking over her shoulder.

Josh and Jason were still standing in the portico at the end of courtyard talking.

"He's cute, and a nice guy," Shawna said. "I can see why you'd like him."

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm feeling," Kimberly said turning back to her. "I mean I thought I was starting to have feelings for him, but then I thought he was dead and now he's back."

"And your head and heart are swimming," Shawna said.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied becoming a little animated. "I just don't know what to think right now. I mean, he says this whole world, this existence, everything we know is going to be nothing someday and he doesn't even know if we ever meet, if nothing we do matters then what's the point?"

"I don't know if I'd think that way," Shawna said putting her arm around Kimberly giving her a side hug. "When he explained it to me I got the impression that what we do here and now matters a lot; that we're going to decide whether this world is just a bad dream or the new reality. If we only have a short time left, why live that time wondering 'what if'?"

"Maybe," Kimberly replied. "But first I think I need to get my own feelings sorted out."

"I'd do it soon," Shawna replied. "The way he talks I don't think there's much time left to figure it out."

Lord Zedd was standing on the balcony of his Palace overlooking the valley below as Vora and human alike toiled building his new capital. Vora workers continued to produce the black resin while the humans continued to pour it into molds forming stones for construction and bring them more raw materials to consume. Others with artistic ability had been commissioned to build monuments for the city from blocks of dark stone that Lord Zedd had provided.

Tengas sat perched on various buildings watching the workers in the hopes of a meal. Others had already found food and sat hunched over in groups feasting on the remains of those who had died from exhaustion. The sky above the city had already turned Black as copious amounts of Nightmare Dark poured from the towering obelisks scattered across the globe.

The pollutant served several important roles besides keeping a world in a constant flux between twilight and night necessary to cultivate the life sustaining fungus which was fed to the slave population. It also served to distribute the warmth of a planet's sun to maintain the whole of a planet at a near constant temperature. While this meant higher water levels on many worlds as ice melted, this surplus only aided other worlds on which water was not so abundant. The darkness also interfered with planetary scans making it difficult for an invading force to assess any defenses prior to planet fall. Though the reverse was also true, the orbital fortresses network placed around the planet ensured solid data and targeting information for ground forces. To Lord Zedd however, it was the constant darkness that appealed to him.

"My Lord," Lokar said coming onto the balcony.

"What do you have for me Lokar?"

"Saturation of Nightmare Dark has reached its zenith; all plants are now reducing output to maintenance levels. The slave population continues to drop, but gene spawn are already being incubated. If we introduce the accelerant we should have more slaves ready in a few weeks."

"Good," Lord Zedd replied. "See to it."

"There is one more matter my Lord,"

"Which would be?"

"It concerns Astronema my Lord,"

"Speak quickly Lokar, you're trying my patience."

"Forgive me, but I believe it would be wise to assign her to another fleet, Commander Deviot would be more than capable of taking her place, and…"

"Capable?" Lord Zedd replied. "Deviot has nowhere near the ability of Astronema, nor does he possess anything to match the Dark Fortress."

"We could always give him command of the Fortress my Lord," Lokar suggested.

"Why do you seem so determined to send her away Lokar?"

"Her spirit seems to have been darkened by her execution. I am merely suggesting that she would not serve as well as your elite guard until she can accept your chastisement and…"

"I do not have time to entertain these petty emotions." Zedd replied the ire in his voice rising. "Force her compliance, and while you're at it rewire Ecliptor, I've let those two remain as they were despite Ecliptor's questionable loyalty because it has never been an issue. It seems I never should have extended such mercy." Zedd paused for a moment. "Use your arcanum to darken Astronema's heart, blot out the last of her sentimentality, feed her essence to the abyss and let the darkness take her."

"As you command my Lord," Lokar replied as he turned to leave.

"Are you certain that is all?" Zedd asked.

"Yes my Lord," Lokar replied.

Zedd watched suspiciously as Lokar departed. He had felt the briefest inclination of resistance in Lokar's being when he had given the order. Something about his command had shaken him for the smallest moment. Zedd had never known Lokar to balk at even the most vile of requests. Lokar had been nothing but an obedient force of sadistic hatred since the day he had granted him release from the Astral Plane. Could it be after all these years Lokar was changing? Had he reached a point where he was no longer simply tolerating the existence of others out of necessity? Whatever the reason he would have to keep a closer eye on Lokar.

"Aisha," Lord Zedd summoned.

"I am here my Lord," Aisha replied, her Ranger form materializing from the darkness.

"I have a task for you."

"You command and I obey my Lord."

Lord Zedd pulled the left gauntlet from his arm and cut into the muscular flesh of his wrist with one of the talons on his right gauntlet. Slowly a glowing crimson liquid began to drip from the wound. Zedd held his hand under the wound allowing the blood to coalesce into a small pool in his armored palm.

Suddenly the blood ceased to flow. The last drop hit the shimmering sanguine surface as the blood crystallized into a small jewel that glimmered with a baleful red light. Lord Zedd held the stone out to Aisha.

"Keep an eye on Lokar, this will keep him from noticing your presence."

Aisha took the small stone from Lord Zedd's hand and pressed it against the gem in her chest. The two joined as one, the glow of her stone fading to a deeper crimson.

"As you wish my Lord," Aisha replied vanishing from sight once again.

Lord Zedd turned back toward his new capital sliding his gauntlet back over his arm. Perhaps with the end of the Ath'zyn Alliance it was finally time to do away with some less predictable elements. Lokar may have been right; certain individuals did need to be sent away.

"Okay, show me what you've learned," Josh said to Shawna.

Shawna fell back into her fighting stance and began going through her exercises throwing a variety of punches and kicks. Josh stood by watching each move, his facial expression impossible to read.

"Something isn't right," he said as she finished. "Attack me,"

"What?" Shawna asked.

"Attack me," Josh repeated.

Shawna looked over at Jason and then to Kimberly.

"Don't worry," Kimberly said. "He knows what he's doing."

With a shrug Shawna lunged forward and threw a punch to Josh's chest, he made no attempt to block it.

"I'm sorry," she said placing her hands over her mouth. "I thought you were going to block or something."

"Your breathing is wrong," Josh said.

"What?"

"You should exhale when you strike, breathing is incredibly important in martial arts. Practice your exercises again slowly, this time focus on controlling your breathing."

"Okay," Shawna nodded falling back into her fighting stance.

"Looks like you've been training her well," Josh said turning back to Jason.

"Thanks," Jason replied.

"When she has her breathing down you should begin having Rocky and Shawna spar against one another."

"Hey Josh," Tommy called coming over to the group. "Glad to see you're awake," Tommy said as an aside to Kimberly who nodded in return. "Hey man, I was wondering if you had sometime to show me a few moves."

"Any particular style?" Josh asked.

"I was hoping to get in a little practice with my sword," he replied.

"I think I can spare a little time," Josh replied.

"Thanks," Tommy replied going for his morpher.

In a flash of crimson light Tommy had transformed into the Quantum Ranger and unsheathed his Quantum Defender. Josh raised his arm, his hand turned palm down. A blaze of green light formed below his palm. Closing his hand around the light a sword took shape from the energy. A long katana with a golden hilt, a dragon's head rising from the guard, the blade coming from its mouth, broke free from nothingness. The grip was wide enough for two hands and was wrapped in green. Josh nodded to Tommy and the two began to duel.

"How did he do that?" Kimberly asked turning to Jason.

"The sword? I'm not really sure," Jason replied. "He's been doing things like that since I've been awake, he doesn't talk much about his powers and none of us have wanted to push the issue, we just figured he'll tell us when he's ready. Apparently he is the Samurai Ranger we saw, but I haven't seen a Morpher or anything like it with him. All he's ever said is he would explain it all when it was time."

"More secrets huh?" Kimberly said softly as she watched the two spar.

Trip sat at the center table in the Time Shadow, parts were spread out over its surface; the internal workings of Circuit. The current problem Trip was facing was finding a way to separate the device that had been implanted in him by Lokar. While Trip had never suspected anything was amiss, the memory files were able to confirm that Circuit had been captured by Treacheron and taken to Lokar. It was during this short time that Lokar had integrated some device into Circuit's control matrix, a modification that was nearly impossible to undo. Then the Phantom Ranger's Morpher had been hidden within Circuit in order to smuggle it into the Command Center undetected.

If he still had the equipment in the Command Center this would be a simple matter. The defective part could simply be replaced, but with no way to manufacture a new one his only alternative was to reshape the matrix to its original state one node at a time. Trip looked back at the design specs again and checked it against the current node. Carefully positioning the cutter he disconnected another of the Lokar's modifications.

With a sigh he leaned back in his chair. If only the Time Shadow had better equipment, if only he had an automated tool to do this work for him, but with ten billion nodes left to complete it didn't appear that he would ever have Circuit operational again.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. His head snapped up as he closed the file for Circuit and pulled up a history file. Scanning down the list of information a smile crossed his face. He pressed a few more keys on the panel sending data to his Morpher and leapt from his seat heading for the elevator to the hanger.

Andros and Ashley were sitting on the shoreline several feet from the barrier's edge. While the glow from the dimensional barrier was beautiful Ashley wished she could see the sun again. Even time spent using the solar lamps was no substitute for the real thing. The pocket they were in was only fifty feet below the water's surface, but Josh had said that the sun had grown darker and darker a few days after he had brought them here until it had vanished completely; or at least was unnoticeable at their current depth. At first she thought perhaps it was only a storm, but to discover that it had been that way for six weeks made her doubt it was anything that simple.

She had been the third to awaken two weeks ago after Jason and Tommy. Andros had woken up two days later. She was happy to have him with her during the brief time they had before they had to return to the real world. Though it seemed time was quickly running out, at least as far as having all the other Rangers back was concerned. Most had woken up last week leaving only Kimberly, Adam, and Zhane still unconscious. She wondered how Kimberly would react to seeing Josh alive. She had begun to understand how Billy and Kimberly must have felt the day Jason returned. Of course Kimberly had always believed Jason was dead, with Josh she had never felt confident that he was actually gone, perhaps there was more of a bond between them than she initially suspected.

Still, there was no sense contemplating all the possibilities, she was sure that she would see the results soon enough. Then, maybe, this could all end and they could go back to being regular teenagers again, if she could remember how. A year of martial law, and then several weeks living out of the Command Center, most of her time spent isolated from the real world. What would she do if she could go back to the way things were before Lord Zedd's arrival?

"What do you want to do after this is all over?" Ashley asked looking out into the ocean.

"The war?" Andros asked. "I don't know, I guess I haven't thought that far in advance."

"Do you think it's going to take a long time to defeat Lord Zedd?" she asked.

"It's not that simple," Andros replied looking down at the sand. "If we can actually defeat Zedd and his armies on this world, Earth will be saved, but there are thousands of worlds out there that are still under Lord Zedd's rule. His armies aren't going to just give up because Zedd is removed. Someone else with simply take over."

"I guess I hadn't thought of that," Ashley said. "It's hard to think about all those other worlds out there, the furthest I've ever been from Earth is the moon. How big is his kingdom, or whatever?"

"The Empire? A few years ago Lord Zedd had two-hundred and eighty-four fleets each with anywhere between two thousand to eight thousand warships and they controlled three-thousand one-hundred sixteen worlds, of course maybe half of those are habitable, the others are used for mining or research."

"How did he manage to do so much in such a short time?"

"A lot of it had to do with initial support from the Machine Empire, I don't know what deal Zedd made with them, but they provided him with one hundred thousand ships and close to a hundred shipyards. The rest came from various other Empires that Zedd compelled to support him. A few years later the Machine Empire withdrew its support, but it was too late."

"Where did Zedd find enough people, aliens, or whatever to pilot these ships?"

"I've heard stories, but I don't know if there's anything more to them than superstition. I've heard that Lord Zedd created an army of Putties ten billion strong from a single moon and those ten billion spread to a thousand worlds where they forced the local populations to strip mine their worlds, using all their resources to build Quantrons and Velocifighters."

"Wow,"

"I'm not sure how much of that is true, but that's what I've heard from various travelers and mercenaries we've come across, at least from the ones that weren't sent to kill us; With Serpentera previously roaming the stars though it wasn't uncommon for entire worlds to be wiped out of existence."

"That's kinda creepy," Ashley replied.

"Yeah,"

"Andros!" Trip's voice called out.

Andros and Ashley turned around and stood up as Trip came running up to them winded, his face red. Andros smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen you get this tired." He said.

"I just sprinted the length of the island," Trip said between breathes. "It's a little further than those little runs we went on in the mornings."

"What's so important?" he asked.

"I need to use your Synthetron,"

Blue stepped through the stone slab of the chamber to find the other Psycho Rangers waiting for him. Red was huddled in a corner staring at the floor. Black was lying on the altar in the center of the room gazing up at the ceiling while Pink was leaning against one of the side walls adjacent to the door. All were dressed in black robes like his. He turned to see that Master Vile had not accompanied him inside, so much the better.

"So they got you too," Red said looking up revealing the stitches on his neck where his head had been reattached.

"On the contrary," Blue replied. "I'm here to organize our revenge against Lord Zedd and Astronema.

The Psycho Rangers immediately perked up all looking eager.

"Does that mean we get our gems back?" Pink asked. "Dead or not, I hate not being morphed."

"We will get our gems back," Blue assured her. "But not until they're ready to strike."

"They?" Red asked. "All I've seen is the guy who looks like he got his face caught in a wood chipper, there's more of them?"

"Apparently they have an army all their own," Blue said. "Though I don't know all the details."

"I saw some snake lady," Pink replied. "I suppose she's one of them?"

"Yes, look, does it matter?" Blue said trying to get them to focus. "The point is that we have a chance to get Lord Zedd and everyone who betrayed us."

"But the Rangers are all dead, and we didn't even get to kill them," Pink replied.

"And whose fault is that?" Blue asked.

"Lord Zedd's!" Red replied his fiery ire returning.

"His fault and everyone else who serves him," Black added sitting up on the altar.

Blue noticed for the first time that Black's face had become hard and scaly with short spikes protruding from his jaw line and around his chin. It was obvious that they must have noticed their altered appearances, but given their limited intellects they may have not realized why their appearances changed, or perhaps, finding their human forms so abhorrent, it may have been a welcome change, either way it didn't appear to be an issue.

"And we're going to make them regret our loss," Blue replied.

"So what did you have in mind?" Red asked getting to his feet.

"Well," Blue began "There is one more of our number that isn't with us."

"Yellow," Pink replied solemnly.

Blue sighed, he would have rolled his eyes if he still had pupils. "Not Yellow, she's here somewhere, apparently as a pile of ashes. I don't know what kind of zombie they plan to make out of her, but last I heard she was going to get reanimated."

"So then who are you talking about?" Pink asked.

"Green," Blue replied.

"Green?" Red asked. "The one who started off so unstable that they never let him out? The one that, if he's even still alive, has been locked in a dark cell for the last two months without your little Morpher modifications to keep his powers in check? That Green?"

"Yes, and he's still very much alive." Blue replied; the skin of his cheeks separating as a vile fanged grin spread from ear to ear.

"I like where this is going." Red replied the smile on his face growing to unnatural proportions.

"So we're going to break out Green?" Black asked. "Then what?"

"Oh no," Blue replied. "It's what I'm going to do first that is going to make breaking Green out completely worth the trouble."

"And what's that?" Red asked.

"Oh, I don't want to spoil the surprise," Blue said. "But I promise you that you'll be very happy. While I'm taking care of my end you will recover Green."

"Don't forget who you're dealing with," Red said a little hostilely. "You're plans haven't exactly had a good track record."

"Well, given our current situation, we have two options, we can either do this my way, or they kill us all."

"I like Blue's plan," Pink replied.

"Fine," Red replied. "So where is Green?"

"He's right where we left him, incarcerated on the Dark Fortress."

Lokar stood in the main hall of the Palace watching the final preparations for Hephaestus' new body. His original frame that the Machine Empire had provided, while innovative, was still little more than a hastily assembled shell of discarded parts and scrap. The only truly solid piece of technology within the machine had been the Cog factory, and that had likely been salvaged from the wreck of The Machina.

The city sized space craft was now little more than a stripped frame. It had taken the Putties weeks to unearth the behemoth from its resting place on the moon and just as much time to haul away anything salvageable, even with the help of the thirty-seventh fleet. It had provided useful materials to work on the new incarnation that Hephaestus was ready to take on.

While Lokar had appreciated the centaur-like frame that the Machine Empire had given the War Machine, it was simply too slow and cumbersome to be effective against the larger battle machines such as the Zords. Even though the last of the Rangers had been wiped out he couldn't help but consider that other races may have comparable war machines even if they lacked the technology of the Ath'zyn. The new frame still held a similar form to its former counterpart, but the lower body had been designed after the arachnid giving it a higher degree of mobility and a considerable amount of space in the abdomen for weapons and manufacturing.

The goblin frame of the upper body was similar in design, but the skeletal structure had been reinforced with thick armor plating and then more armor was placed over the plating to restore its undead appearance. The result was a frame slightly larger than a standard War Zord with true combat potential in addition to the armaments and troop deployment capabilities of a mobile fortress.

It had taken some time to complete this wondrous fusion of technology and arcanum. Fortunately with the Rangers removed from the picture he was free from the pressures of Lord Zedd's ambitious plans and therefore able to take his time in securing the best components the Empire had to offer. This third incarnation would be superior to all his previous forms and would serve Lord Zedd well whether it remained on Earth to guard the Bastion World or accompanied the fleet on future conquests.

Even as Lokar watched the armored coffin that housed Finster's tattered remains, the contents little more than several organs kept alive through an intricate life support system, being hoisted up to the insertion point in the chest, just below the neck, he knew he was only here to delay the inevitable. His Lord had ordered him to dispatch Astronema's humanity. If he were to do so she would certainly no longer be of any use to him. She would certainly serve Lord Zedd with a renewed fervor, but she would only do so until such a time as she believed she could over throw him. He knew that Lord Zedd was aware of this fact, but it was obvious that his Lord felt such an event would never occur. Was it even of importance anymore? With the last world of the former Ath'zyn Alliance conquered it seemed unlikely that any still had the might to challenge Lord Zedd. Did he really need Astronema to help keep watch over the Empire? Or was there something more than her perceived necessity that kept him from his task?

He remembered the chill feeling as the words had come to him from his Lord. Was it possible that he was changing, that time in this realm had weakened his resolve? The thought disgusted him, to think that he was becoming like these filthy creatures, no, he would do what needed to be done as he always had.

With new found determination he turned away opening a portal directly in front of himself, vanishing in a flash of red light. In the corner, behind where he had stood, an intangible phantom stirred. Aisha stepped out remaining invisible as she watched the chest of Hephaestus close with a loud crashing sound as the armored plates slammed together and locked into place. Orders were shouted from one end of the hall to the others as Quantrons began to clear the area.

With a twisted sense of pleasure Aisha looked on as the eyes of the beast lit a cold eerie green. The doors opened wide, the legs of the War Machine springing to life. With a howling scream Hephaestus quickly scurried out the door, the rapid footfalls of the enormous mechanical legs drowned out everything else in a loud drone of clanging metal.

Lokar stepped onto the bridge of the Dark Fortress to find Astronema completing a series of system checks for hyperspace transition. Her staff was resting on the table beside her.

"How did it go?" she asked noticing Lokar's presence without turning to face him.

"Not quiet as expected." Lokar replied.

"What do you mean?" Astronema asked continuing her work.

"Our Lord had a different solution to the problem."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a chill running down her spine.

Lokar continued to advance toward her. He could hear the sound of Ecliptor's sword being unsheathed, he could smell the growing tension in the air.

"Don't concern yourself," he replied. "It will all be over in a minute."

Ecliptor charged in with his sword raised as Astronema turned to face Lokar grabbing her weapon from the table. With a quick gesture Lokar arced lighting from his right hand sending Ecliptor flying across the room and sending a wave of force out into Astronema slamming her into the table behind her with his left. Lokar stepped over her body kicking her weapon away and placing his foot over her throat.

Astronema gripped his foot, but found that she was unable to move it no matter how hard she struggled. Lokar manifested a small glowing worm in his hands. The creature had a small mouth surrounded by barbed tentacles and scythe-like protrusions down the length of its body that twitched as it thrashed about in Lokar's palm. Astronema's eyes grew wide with fear as he lowered the creature down toward her face.

"Don't worry," Lokar assured her. "The intense pain of your soul being ripped apart doesn't last very long."

Astronema tried to scream, but found herself unable to.

Josh and Kimberly were standing out on the balcony below the citadel. It had been an interesting day, and Kimberly was still getting a handle on all that had occurred. She was happy to have been able to spend sometime with Ashley and Andros and catch up. She was glad that Ashley was happy, though something in the back of her mind caused her to wonder what kind of future they could possibly have with all that was going on around them. She knew to some degree she was being cynical, but with all that had happened she was beginning to question if believing the best about a situation wasn't a little self deceptive. No, she couldn't let herself begin to think that way about life just because there were struggles to face, as long as she was alive there was always hope for the future, only her death could take that away. Whatever her role was in all of this she would do her part, she would see this horrible world erased so that everyone could have a chance at the life they deserved.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Kimberly asked.

Josh continued to stare off into the distance as if he were watching something which she could not see. The look in his eyes was focused and determined, a little too heavy for her taste. She was a little nervous about this, he had changed since his time spent with the dragon and phoenix, she knew there was more going on than he had told her or anyone.

"I've been a fool," he said at last.

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to do all this on my own, and I can't, I just can't."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Josh turned to face her, his gaze locked with hers. "I tried to face Lord Zedd on my own, I tried to fight this whole war on my own, and I can't do it anymore." He paused for a moment considering his words. "You've offered to help me so many times, tried to help me and I've heard the words, and I understood you were genuine, but I just couldn't get past my own ego." He looked away from her, looking back out over the city. "Watching the Lord Tiamat and Lady Phoenix it became too apparent."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw them fight against the darkness, while I was in the realm with them. They fight to keep it contained within their realm, if it were to get out it would mean the death of everyone. They exist in that realm to protect reality from being consumed by the void, but there was one difference between the way they fight and the way I fight." Josh said pausing again to find the right words.

"What is it?" she asked putting her hand on his arm.

"They fight together and I fight alone." He replied turning to her. "I fight on my own, but that isn't the way that it should be, the power of the Go-Dai is the power of unity, of balance."

"So you can make a new start this time," Kimberly replied. "We can all work together to win."

"It's more than that," Josh replied. "In the end I'm the one who will have to face Lord Zedd, and, I need," Josh paused.

"What?" Kimberly asked suddenly realizing she was trembling.

"I need you by my side," Josh said. "I need you with me if I'm going to win."

Kimberly smiled. "Of course I'll be with you when you face Zedd," she replied.

"You know this is going to be very dangerous," he cautioned.

"I know," she replied softly. "Which is why I'm not going to let you go alone."

The two of them stood there silently for a moment starring into each other's eyes. Kimberly could feel her pulse racing.

"Josh, Kim, Adam is awake." Jason called from the entrance of the citadel.

"Okay," Josh shouted back.

"We should get back then," Kimberly said looking up at him. "I'm sure Adam will be glad to see you're alright too."

"Right," Josh nodded.

The two began to walk back up the short flight of stairs to the gateway. Kimberly's heart was still racing as they entered the citadel. Why had she been so quick to escape the situation, what was wrong with her?

Darkonda stood in the main chamber along with Rito, Diabolico, Vypra, Loki, and Olympius. Ryan stood in the shadows to one side of Diabolico slightly behind him in what Diabolico had explained was his place. Master Vile entered from another room to stand by Rito.

"Now that most of you are here," Darkonda began. "It's time you met the other members of our council."

"An interesting term," Diabolico commented.

"Understand," Darkonda replied. "We never meant to lord our power over you, we simply could not risk you acting on your own and exposing this operation before we reached this point of readiness."

"I'm sure," the demon replied not convinced.

"Regardless," Darkonda began again, ignoring him. "I have two others that you must meet."

Darkonda extended his hand toward the shadows leading from the main chamber as the sound the foot steps began to echo on the floor. The others turned to see a figure approaching, a cape trailing behind.

"This is Divatox," Darkonda replied.

The woman nodded. Her appearance had changed since her encounter with Lord Zedd. Her face had been badly burned and was now covered by a golden mask fashioned in the image of her former appearance. The red vinyl now also covered her arms down to her gloves and ran up her neck disappearing beneath her hairpiece and the mask. When the attack had come on Angel Grove Elgar had succeeded in getting the rift drive functional moments before the impact of the attack, but the swell of energy from the immense discharge and the proximity to the planet at the time of the jump had done considerable damage to the Megalodon. The rift drive had ruptured killing Elgar, though it had maintained sufficient stability to avoid a total field collapse and subsequent explosion. Fires had broken out over most of the ship nearly destroying it. She might have perished herself if not for Rygog.

She had awoken in the infirmary on a mercenary world, one of the few safe havens for her kind, to find her flesh burned and disfigured. While her outward attire was nearly unchanged under her armor she was forever scarred and disfigured. Her only hope for restoration resting on whatever arcanum could be recovered from the deaths of Lokar and Lord Zedd. This was Darkonda's promise to her.

"Greetings," she said; her voice still smooth and silk-like.

She stepped to the side and took her place in the circle.

"Our other member is only able to join us via Nether Projection as he is unable to be here in person."

"Why is that?" Olympius asked.

"Because he is the source of our fleet," Darkonda replied placing a black cube on the floor.

Within seconds Darkonda had brought up the display on the cube and quickly entered in a combination of glyphs before the image flickered to life. A pair of glowing yellow eyes could be seen gleaming from the head of a shadowy form.

"The Machine Empire sends its greetings." The voice replied.

"I thought they were wiped out." Divatox replied astonished.

"That's the thing about machines," the individual replied. "We can be rebuilt, and," he said as the lights came on around him. "We can be replicated."

"King Mondo," Rito spoke in awe.

The towering form of Mondo loomed on the imager. His appearance the same as it had always been.

"You look surprised for a necromancer," Mondo replied.

"Forgive me," Rito said. "I heard you had been destroyed."

"Yes, Darkonda informed me that things went poorly on our first attempt. But the Machine Empire is prepared to succeed this time."

"So you have no memory of your first attempt?" Diabolico asked.

"We have some records that survived from The Machina before Lord Zedd dismantled it, but I was informed that my former body was too damaged to retrieve any information from. So I have no direct memory after coming to the Warrior Core to copy my mind for later retrieval."

"It appears wise that we did so," Darkonda replied.

"Indeed," Mondo replied. "Though some things can not be replaced as easily. Without Orbus we lack a convenient power supply for our matter transducer. Klank is working on the problem, but it will take time to build another quantum matrix."

"That is regrettable," Darkonda said. "But I trust that you will be able to provide a substitute?"

"We have other war machines capable of carrying the slack." Mondo replied. "They will be more than a match for Zedd's little toys. I also understand you have other recruits who are not present at this discussion?"

"Yes," Darkonda replied. "The Psycho Rangers, former creations of Lord Zedd, they are unstable elements and are being confined until we are ready to attack."

"A common biological trait," Mondo replied. "Very well, our commands stand ready for temporal space transition."

"How soon will you be able to arrive in system?" Vile asked.

"Two days," Mondo replied.

"Will you also be able to arrive within that timetable?" Darkonda asked looking at Divatox.

"I should be able to," she replied.

"Then commence the operation," Darkonda said. "We will make all the preparations on our end and be ready to move on your signal."

"Excellent," Mondo replied as the image faded away.

"Then I shall return to the Megalodon," Divatox replied. "And do not forget our agreement." She said quietly, walking passed Darkonda as she vanished into the darkness of the Nether.

"Finish reanimating that last Psycho Ranger," Darkonda replied. "The rest of you can assist in moving Kimera through the gateway."

Kimberly watched quietly as Josh brought Adam up to speed on the events that had occurred since his disappearance and the encounter with Lord Tiamat and Lady Phoenix. She couldn't help but notice Billy's interest in that part of the account, though he had certainly heard it before he still seemed fixated on the idea that these beings that they had heard so much about actually existed and were not just some random concept created from the minds of superstitious individuals. Personally she wasn't sure what was so hard to believe, it just made them aliens, but maybe Billy saw something deeper in it all.

What was really on her mind however was the moment before Jason had interrupted them. Why had she been so willing to go back in? He was just a guy, and a cute and nice one at that. So what was the problem? No matter how she tried to rationalize it the whole thing still felt monumental, as if this was something bigger than she could possibly understand, like it was destiny. She laughed at herself for using such a serious word, after all Trip didn't know anything about Joshua when he had come, but Circuit had, hadn't he? He had said something after accessing historical files, but that didn't mean anything, he could have just located information on him, history was full of people who never met. Then why did everything about this feel so heavy? As if her decision was life altering.

"Can you guys keep it down, I'm trying to sleep," Zhane's words suddenly got the attention of everyone in the room.

"Zhane you're awake!" Ashley exclaimed as she and Andros rushed to his side.

"How are you feeling?" Andros asked.

"Sleepy," Zhane smiled sitting up. "Where are we?"

"Andros, why don't you fill him in," Josh said.

"Not a problem," Andros replied his eyes getting a little watery.

Kimberly smiled as she watched the interaction between old friends. Jason seemed to notice her response and walked over to stand next to her.

"I'm glad to see that everyone is together again," Kimberly said.

"Not everyone," Jason said. "Zedd still has Aisha, and I have a feeling that within a few days we're going to be in for the biggest fight of our lives."

"Maybe," Kimberly said watching the smiles on the faces of her friends. "But for now I'm just going to enjoy the moment.

Trip sat in the work bay of the Astro Mega Ship. Around him were wires and small components hanging from the wall next to the Synthetron. He had been working for hours to adjust the system to function on a much broader scale than simply food and dishware. Some of it was a matter of programming, but this device was also built with food preparation in mind, as such it lacked the refinement needed to create molecularly complex systems.

"I don't think you should do that," Deca said as Trip adjusted one of the particle emitters.

"I know what I'm doing," Trip replied continuing his work. "A thousand years from now we learn about this stuff as children."

"But this is not Earth based technology,"

"It still works the same," Trip said disconnecting another cable. "The problem is the Synthetron isn't really built to do detailed work like the molecular assembler that the Rangers had. It has a base list of elements that it works with, what I'm trying to do is to make the emitters a little more precise and then switch out the base elements in the system for those needed to make a new control matrix." Trip stopped as he realize Deca was already well aware of all of this.

"But if you alter the elements used in this device it will be useless for its designated purpose."

"I'll put it back together properly when I'm done," Trip replied.

Trip's communicator beeped. He put down the wire cutters and activated the link.

"Trip here,"

"Trip, it's Billy. How is progress coming?"

"Slow, I'm still working to get the emitters fine tuned. Everything after that though should be relatively simple."

"Well I hate to interrupt your work, but Adam and Zhane are awake, so Josh was going to brief us on what we're going to be up against."

"Okay," Trip sighed. "I'll be up in a few minutes."

"I can give you a hand when we're done if you like," Billy offered.

"I appreciate it, but this access panel is too small for more than one person to work on it."

"I understand," Billy replied.

"Tell everyone I'll be there in a few minutes,"

Trip closed the channel and sighed looking around at the mess of cables hanging from the wall. This was going to take a long time, perhaps not as long as fixing the control matrix by hand, but this job was only slightly less difficult. At least he wouldn't have to undo all of the upgrades when he was done.

"I'm going to leave this as is Deca," Trip said getting to his feet. "I'll be back shortly, so for the meantime cut the power to the Synthetron and please check your files for any information that would be helpful in speeding up completion of this project."

"I will do my best." Deca replied as Trip walked out of the work bay.

Master Vile was standing over the pile of ashes that had once been Psycho Yellow. Rito stood to his right arranging the remains on the altar. Around them the walls glowed blood red as the iconography pulsated like the beating of a heart. As Rito finished his task, the ashes now lying on the altar in the rough shape of a person, Master Vile raised a small cylinder of red liquid and poured it carefully over the ashes in the form of a crude skeletal frame. Rito then stepped forward and placed the Morpher onto the center of the ashen silhouette.

Vile glanced over at Rito, his son nodding in response to his silent question. The two moved to opposite sides of the altar, with Master Vile at the top. They each placed their hands on the corners and began to utter words in a strange language, their tempo keeping pace with the throbbing of the room. The blue flames of the pillars in the corners began to dim as their words steadily grew in intensity. The pulse of the room quickened as did their incantation until the walls convulsed with such force that the flames went out, the room went black for a moment. There was an intense scream from the darkness that continued as other shrieks and howls accompanied it in the darkness.

Suddenly the tension in the room broke and the fires sparked back to life, the walls stopped pulsated, and the glow from the walls subsided. On the altar before them the blackened body stirred slightly. While Yellow's physical structure had not changed, her composition was little more than a mix of black and white ash.

"Did it work?" Rito asked.

Master Vile slid his hands under the body and lifted it up. Her form held together as she moved slightly in his arms.

"She appears to be physically stable," Vile replied. "Let's move her in with the others quickly."

Rito nodded as the two proceeded from the chamber out into a hallway lit by torches. Turning down the hall they came to a sealed door. Rito placed his hand on the slab, a deep violet glow emanated from his palm. Master Vile stepped through the slab. On the other side the Psycho Rangers stood quietly watching him from around the room. Slowly Master Vile knelt and placed Yellow's body on the floor.

"We're attacking in two days," Master Vile said as he stood up.

The Psychos continued to stare coldly at him. Behind the others he caught a subtle nod from Blue. With no more words Vile stepped backward out of the room.

"I still think using these things is dangerous," Vile said turning to Rito as he exited the room.

"I agree," Rito said. "But I think they will be an excellent tool for chaos."

"Of that I have no doubts,"

The two walked back down the hallway to see to other preparations.

"Yellow looks funny," Pink said poking at her powdery flesh.

"That's because she's nothing more than ash held together by her soul's aura, it's like a force field in some ways." Blue replied.

"Wake up." Red said kicking her in the side.

Yellow's form warped at the contact, burning embers burst from the wound singeing Red's foot. He quickly jumped back not sure what to make of the situation. Then as they all watched the ashen form reconstituted.

"What was that?!" Red exclaimed.

"Obviously the state of Yellow's physical body has allowed for some interesting abilities upon reanimation." Blue said. "I remember reading about this in one of Vile's books, I think their might be some definite possibilities here."

"What do you mean?" Red asked.

"I think she might be able to atomize, if I can recall the right incantation."

"Auto what?" Pink asked.

"Atomize," Blue replied. "It means she could transform into a non-solid state like a powder in the air."

"So what if she could," Red replied. "Once we have our gems back we can phase through solid matter."

"True," Blue replied. "Except that we still give off a significant power signature when we do, Yellow could actually move freely without that drawback."

"What use would that be to us?" Red asked.

"Well, it might allow me to send her on a little errand instead of going myself."

Trip sat down quietly among the other Rangers seated on the raised lip around the pool of water in the entrance of the citadel as Josh paced around by the doors.

"Well we're all here," Jason said. "So what's this all about?"

"This is about the rest of the story that you didn't know," Josh began. "I've told you about the dragon and the phoenix and about their struggled to keep the void contained within their dimension. What I haven't told you is that in two days a massive army is going to attack Lord Zedd on this planet and this will be our chance to eliminate him. In addition to Lord Zedd's minions we will be up against the Machine Empire once again, and Master Vile, his son Rito, the demons that we battled the morning of Lord Zedd's devastating attack and others that you have never met."

Billy's hand shot up. Josh nodded to him.

"Who is Master Vile? We heard about him in the historical archives, but I was side tracked and didn't get anymore information on him."

"Master Vile is a powerful Necromancer, probably the most powerful Necromancer to still live. He is a dangerous opponent and you would be wise to avoid him in battle."

"Then how are we suppose to win if we aren't a match for these guys?" Adam asked.

"I didn't say you could not defeat him," Josh replied. "I am merely suggesting that if you can avoid it you should. This battle is going to be huge and will rage in space all the way down to the ground, and once again, Angle Grove will be the epicenter of this conflict. There will be plenty of enemies without looking for difficult opponents."

"So who's going to be taking on Master Vile?" Jason asked.

"That will be left up to my associate."

"The White Ranger," Billy said.

"So why him?" Andros asked.

"Because Vile will seek him out." Josh replied.

"You seem pretty certain, why?" Billy asked.

"That is another part of the story I haven't told you." Josh said. "When I first returned to this plane of existence Lord Zedd's fleet was already deploying to destroy the Command Center and the world…"

Josh stepped through the air as if it was a liquid surface, his body returning to his home dimension. He was clad in a dark armor that resembled Ninja armor. The armor was mostly black with dark green plates running up either side of his torso and over his shoulders. The armored guards on his wrists and shins were also a dark green. His eyes were hidden behind a matte black visor. Below, the guard over his lower face bore the three taloned insignia of the dragon. A single sword was strapped to his back.

He had stepped out onto one of the spires of the Lunar Palace. In the distance he could see the Dark Fortress drifting toward the planet. Velocifighters poured from the launch bays on every side preparing to engage the largest concentration of defense satellites. The rest of the armada was deploying around the planet. Josh knew he didn't have much time.

He quickly slid to the edge of the roof and peered over the side looking down onto the balcony. Below he could see Lord Zedd watching the proceedings. Josh contemplated his options, was there another way into the throne room? He could go down to the great hall, but that would take too long and there weren't any other windows or doors on the upper levels and there was no time to look for a better way; he would simply have to get passed Lord Zedd. Silently he began to descend down the side of the palace head first, his hands and feet sticking to the outer wall.

He reached the ledge above the balcony less than ten feet from Lord Zedd, he could see the faces twisted in anguish reflected in the black surface of his armor. Holding his breath he prepared to flip down through the opening.

"My Lord," Lokar's voice came.

Josh pinned himself to the wall his armor fading slightly, blending with the exterior of the palace.

"What do you have for me Lokar?" Zedd asked turning to face him.

Josh could see the piercing red eyes and hoped they would not notice him.

"The message has been sent to Aisha and that little mechanical owl, they are commencing their side of the operation as we speak. The Ranger's sensors are already disabled; they will not see Astronema coming."

"Excellent, and what about the Psycho Rangers?"

"They are ready and waiting aboard the Dark Fortress for the moment the Command Center's shields are lowered."

"Very good Lokar, keep an eye on them until they depart,"

"As you wish my Lord." Lokar replied with a bow before turning to leave.

As he vanished from sight Josh caught sight of tiny flashes of light that sparked beneath the Velocifighters. Magnifying the image he could see a host of missiles racing toward their targets. Zedd would not want to miss their detonation. Now, he only had to time his movements right. As the missiles neared their targets every muscle in Joshua's body tensed as he prepared to launch himself through the opening. He saw the flash as the first missile detonated. Quickly he pushed his legs off the wall, keeping his hands firmly in place, he arched his body through the opening and placed his feet on the inner wall adhering to it just as easily before releasing his hands and pulling himself around clinging to the inner wall of Lord Zedd's throne room. He sat there for a moment waiting. If Lord Zedd had seen him there didn't seem to be any indication, his mind must be elsewhere.

Josh leapt from the wall and landed silently near Lord Zedd's throne. Quickly he moved behind it and slipped behind the curtain standing pressed against the stone door. With the utmost care he began to apply a gentle force to the door. There was a subtle scrapping sound as the door moved slowly on it hinges. Josh finally managed to slide the door open enough to squeeze through. Stepping into the room he was shocked at the collection of items Lord Zedd had amassed, the power in the room was overwhelming.

Josh pulled himself together and moved quickly to the other side of the room where the Zeo Crystal hovered in a field of light above a rough cut stone pillar. With a deep breath Josh manifest a duplicate of the crystal and slid it into the force field alongside the other.

Pain spiked in his mind as the images of his service to Lord Zedd flashed in his mind. He saw the deaths of Bulk and Skull, of Zack and Trini, and finally Jason's. He nearly screamed as the barrier ripped open his inner thoughts exposing it to the light. With a huff he pulled the Zeo Crystal from the field leaving the double in its place, the barrier still intact. With a sigh Josh opened a small portal and slid the crystal into it.

Quietly, Josh moved back out of the room taking the time to slowly close the door and slipped back out from beneath the curtain on the side of the throne opposite the balcony. He could see Lord Zedd's back; apparently he was still watching and waiting to see the destruction of the Command Center. With a quick sprint Josh darted across the throne room and reached the double doors on the far side. With a swift movement he opened the door and slid outside, quietly closing the door behind him.

He looked to his right and left searching for anyone in the narrow hallway. Seeing no one he made a dash for Finster's workshop. He knew it belonged to Lokar now, but Lokar was occupied elsewhere and through there was the quickest way out. Turning the corner he saw two Quantrons coming his way. In a flash he had unsheathed his sword and decapitated both of the automatons before they could react. He quickly leapt forward sheathing his sword and catching the heads and set them on the ground as he caught the bodies on his shoulders. He continued down the hallway quickly.

Coming to Lokar's doorway he saw the small stone box in the corner, the waste chute. It had once been a part of Finster's workshop, but Lokar was not pleased with the open design of the room, he valued his privacy, and he had better ways of disposing of unwanted items, so there was no need to incorporate it. It was a good thing too; there was no telling what malevolence lurked beyond that door. Josh was quick to dump the bodies of the Quantrons down the chute before jumping down himself; his HUD showing the distance he was from Lord Zedd's chamber as he fell head first down the narrow shaft. When he reached a safe distance he risked opening a small gateway in front of him and dove through it.

"The White Ranger now draws his powers from the Zeo Crystal, and Master Vile desires the crystal above all things. So even if I hadn't foreseen this, I'd be pretty confident."

"What's the connection though?" Billy asked. "Did Zedd take the crystal from him?"

"No, Zedd just happened to get a hold of it first." Josh replied. "Long ago powerful wizards from Galaxy M-Fifty-one brought the crystal to Earth to hide it from Master Vile in the caverns below; the Lunar Palace was later built above to help safeguard it. A powerful force field was also placed around it which destroys evil and shields its power from detection. There it sat until Lord Zedd moved it to his trophy room, a museum for powerful Ath'zyn relics from across the cosmos."

"So that must have been what those communications I reviewed were about," Billy said.

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"When I was looking through the records that had been decoded I found several communications to Zordon about an item being transported and then if you recall we had those weird sections of the records where information had been deleted."

"That's right," Jason remembered.

"Um, not to change the subject," Shawna began. "But, if you can make these portals why didn't you just open a portal into the treasure room?"

"Lord Zedd can sense them," Josh replied. "It was a risk even opening a small one, I was hoping that it would go unnoticed with all the other power in that room, but opening one for myself was too great a risk. The crystal was the first priority, getting out undetected was the second."

"Won't Zedd notice the crystal is gone?" Kimberly asked.

"Not unless he tries to remove it from the barrier," Josh replied.

"So will this Ranger be back before the invasion?" Rocky asked changing the subject.

"That's what I saw," Josh replied. "Though when it will happen I can't say, but it will be in the next two days."

"So what is our plan here?" Trey asked. "What roles do we play in all this?"

"Well, your role in this fight is to simply add to the chaos, Trip, Trey, Andros, and Zhane will use their Zords to engage the forces in space, the rest of us will engage in the ground battle around the palace. The goal is for me to reach Lord Zedd and defeat him; everything else is secondary to this."

"We still have Zords?" Adam asked.

"Those were moved when we were saved, yes." Josh replied. "At least all those present in the Command Center."

"Are you implying that you didn't move everyone?" Billy asked.

"Correct," Josh replied. "It was the Lord Tiamat, I couldn't move that much mass over such a great distance, and into a dimensional pocket at that."

"So what about my Q-Rex?" Tommy asked.

"It's safe for now," Josh replied. "Lord Zedd doesn't consider it a threat; he's been too busy with other things to destroy it."

"Is there anything else we need to go over?" Trip asked seeming a little tense. "I have things I need to be working on."

"I think that's it, unless you have questions."

Trip nodded and excused himself from the room. Tommy also got up and left the chamber, though Josh caught something in his eyes, something that seemed to be troubling him.

"I was curious about the Dragon Zord," Billy said. "We need it in order to form the Ultra Zord, are you still going to be able to use it?"

"I can no longer use the Dragon Zord that you know of, but I still have a way to bring a Dragon Zord into the fight, so don't worry about it." Josh replied as he glanced toward the door. "Excuse me a moment, I'll answer any other questions you have when I get back."

"Okay," Billy said. "But I want to discuss some tactics when you get back."

Josh nodded and slipped out the door. He looked around a moment before he noticed Tommy sitting on one of the branching flights of stairs that descended from the main balcony. Deliberately making some noise as he descended he sat down next to Tommy.

"Something bothering you?" he asked.

"Sort of," Tommy replied staring at the steps.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Josh asked pressing the issue.

"I'm just concerned about this battle,"

"How so?"

"This is hard to admit, especially to you," Tommy replied.

"You're worried about failing someone?" Josh asked.

"Well, yeah, in a way,"

"We're all scared to some degree," Josh said. "I'm going to have to fight Lord Zedd, and that frightens me."

"Really?"

"Of course, no one has ever come close to defeating him, and on top of it the fate of the world rests on this battle, yes I'm scared, I'd be crazy not to be, but an old sensei of mine told me something once about courage. He said, 'courage is not the lack of fear, courage is facing your fears and doing what you must'."

"It's not just that though," Tommy said. "I know I'm the new guy here, but I'm having a hard time with all the violence, this isn't some tournament, this is real."

"As real as it gets," Josh agreed. "It's easy when you can practice martial arts in a controlled environment, it becomes like a game, but we were chosen to save the world, you were chosen, which means you were selected for this battle." Josh paused for a moment to let that sink in. "I won't lie to you, fighting in real battles is hard. It means you have to react quickly, which sometimes means discarding good form, and above all you need to just get the job done as quickly as possible. You will not receive mercy from the enemy, and, in most cases, there is no honor to the way they fight. I understand that it's different from the world you're use to, but you need to master it. You're a good fighter Tommy, but you need to let go of your doubts and do your best." Josh said rising to his feet. "That's all any of us can do."

"Thanks man," Tommy said as Josh began walking back up the stairs.

"You will be ready when the day comes Tommy," Josh said. "I've already seen it."

"So you already know the outcome of this fight?" Tommy asked.

"No," Josh replied. "All I know is that everyone is ready,"

"Weren't the Zords nearly destroyed in our fight with the Psycho Rangers?" Adam asked.

"They were pretty damaged," Billy replied. "I'm not sure how, but Josh and that other Ranger managed to repair them, they're down in the caves where the Alliance use to keep attack craft, I'm not sure if they had equipment down there to fix them or if it was something else."

"What do you mean?" Zhane asked.

"Josh has been demonstrating some unusual abilities since he's been back," Billy said.

"Like what?" Adam asked.

"Making weapons appear out of nowhere, healing rapidly, manifesting protective shielding at will to name a few," Billy said.

"Has anyone asked about it?" Adam asked.

"No one's wanted to," Jason replied. "Josh has been a little intimidating lately,"

"I'd say it's more of a focus," Trey interrupted. "He's been very intense about preparing for this battle and it's made it hard to talk to him about trivial things like his powers when we're facing a fight on a scale larger than anything seen since the birth of the Empire."

"It really isn't important when you think about it," Billy said. "I mean we're all curious as to why he can do it, but he is a Ranger after all, so the fact that he can do things like that doesn't necessarily surprise us, it's just the way he does it that was surprising."

"So you're curious, but not enough to talk about it?" Adam asked.

"I just don't want to press the issue," Jason said. "From Josh's perspective it's been years since he's been back with us and he's been quiet about what happened while he was with the dragon and phoenix; I think that time was hard on him despite all he gained. He's been very focused on the up coming battle and I think we should be also, it sounds like it's going to be the most difficult fight we've ever faced."

"I think he was a little isolated while he was there," Billy said. "From the brief accounts I have of his training there were times where he was left for days to work on a single exercise."

"He's always been comfortable talking to Kimberly," Ashley said. "He would open up to her even when he shut everyone else out."

"It's true," Kimberly said. "He was like this after he was freed from Zedd's control, he takes time to open up, it must have been hard on him, having to watch what we were doing day after day and not being there, I can't even begin to imagine. But he has learned the importance of other people while he was gone, and for that much I'm glad he was gone for a while."

"What's going on?" Josh asked coming back into the room.

"We were just talking about you," Adam replied. "I heard you've gotten some new abilities."

"Yes," Josh replied. "I've had a lot of time to work on harnessing my Ranger powers."

Adam smiled. It was true he didn't really talk about it, but from his response Adam got the impression that whatever the others had seen him do was of little significance to him. It wasn't a matter of not wanting to talk about it, he just didn't see it as anything significant, and if such feats were common place for him Adam was much more confident that he was prepared for his fight against Lord Zedd.

"I wanted to go back to my question about the Dragon Zord." Billy said.

"I already told you I have it covered." Josh sighed.

"I'm just confused on where you're going to get another Dragon Zord." Billy said. "I know you've gained a lot of knowledge while you've been gone, but some of us are still in the dark."

"Sorry," Josh replied. "You're right. I guess I take this stuff for granted. I plan on manifesting a Dragon Zord through the power of my spirit."

"Can you do that?" Andros asked a little astonished.

"If some of the others remember the original Pai Zhug members who were suppose to have the coins had their spirit form attacks?"

"Yeah," Adam replied. "They were amazing."

"A Zord isn't any harder to manifest, it's simply bigger." Josh replied. "Ninjor never intended for the use of Zords in the way we think of them, the coins were suppose to enhance the supernatural abilities of the user to allow them to manifest the Zord on their own."

"So you're saying you can just will another Dragon Zord into existence?" Billy asked.

"Something like that," Josh replied.

"Well with that resolved can we discuss our plans to attack the capital?" Trey asked.

"I thought we did," Josh replied. "Those with space power will fight in space; the rest of us will storm the palace."

"I was thinking about something a little more specific," Trey replied.

"Well I can tell you the Earth has changed significantly, most of California is gone; any spot on Earth that once had a military presence has been wiped off the map. Humanity is enslaved and now serves Lord Zedd; the world you knew no longer exists." Josh said.

"What about weak points on the palace or the route we take into the city?" Billy asked. "Do we have any maps?"

"I promise you none of this matters," Josh said. "We're just adding to the chaos and I plan to slip through it all to get to Lord Zedd."

"We should still have some form of a plan," Billy said.

"This is going to be a long night," Josh muttered with a smile as he shook his head.

Kimberly and Josh were standing out on the balcony below the citadel, as the second day dawned, looking out toward the barrier. Yesterday had passed so quickly and now they stood on the brink of war. While there were still many questions concerning the course of the battle that had begun two nights ago and continued through yesterday Josh had done his best to calm them all down and keep them focused on their training. He seemed to have an unnatural level of confidence in the battle, though Kimberly suspected that was from having seen parts of it. The specifics of what he had seen were not revealed, apparently the specifics of his own battle had not even been revealed to him. He said that no one should know their own future, it would only cause a person to second guess their actions. Kimberly had to agree that no amount of worrying was going to improve their chances, though Billy's scenarios were all valid considerations, but if Josh knew they would do their best little more could be important. He seemed to view the entire thing in a more simplistic way, though maybe that too was from his knowledge, it was possible as he spent time with the dragon and the phoenix he began to see the world the way they did. Maybe Billy and the others were over complicating things; either way as long as each person was happy with their plans did it really matter?

Josh however, had finally talked privately with Jason about the resources available for the battle and left him along with Trey and Billy to begin working out strategies which would be presented at this morning's breakfast. Josh knew he had changed since his time away, but one thing that had not changed was his impulsive attitude about a fight. He still flowed with situations as they arose, which was fine in a battle, but even he had to acknowledge that in a group, with a battle of this size, there needed to be more of a plan. The real issue had been the lack of tactical data on the enemy. He knew most of the opposition that would be present, but didn't know the composition and abilities of the enemy forces or the numbers they would be facing.

"How did you summon your weapon without morphing when you were practicing with Tommy a few days ago?" Kimberly asked breaking the silence.

Josh smiled. "I mastered my Power Coin," he replied taking the small coin from under one of his bracers. "After five years of practice I was able to commune with my Power Coin and can now use its powers the way Ninjor intended, no more short cuts. I can use any of it's powers at anytime, I don't even need to morph to use my weapons."

"So you don't even need a Morpher anymore?"

"No," Josh replied.

A sudden crack of thunder interrupted their conversation. He and Kimberly both turned around quickly as a bolt of white light descended before the gateway to citadel. The light flashed brightly causing the two to shield their eyes. When they looked again they could see the form of the White Zeo Ranger.

"Guys he's back!" Kimberly shouted as she and Josh quickly ascended the steps.

"Kimberly," the Ranger said. "It is good to see you again."

"You know me?" Kimberly asked.

Before he could answer Jason, Billy, Adam, Andros, and Zhane came out the main doors.

"So the mysterious Ranger returns," Jason said.

"Ah, Rangers," he said. "It is so good to see you all well."

"So who are you?" Billy asked.

"Think we should show them?" Josh asked with a smile.

Without a word the White Ranger reached back lifted his helmet from his head. His strong, deep eyes meeting with Kimberly's first.

"Oh my god," Kimberly whispered as she fainted.


	19. Chapter 19

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-19-

Josh caught Kimberly before she hit the ground, cradling her head against his chest. Slowly he lowered her down keeping her propped against his own body.

"Are you…?" Billy asked in astonishment.

"Yes Billy, it's me."

"Zordon?" Jason replied barely able to do more than mouth the words as he looked into the man's face.

"Yes Jason,"

"How is this possible?" Andros asked. "I mean you were trapped, there was no way to get you out, the Eltarians tried for millennia."

"As I'm sure Josh has told you there are far greater powers in this universe than Eltar."

"The dragon and phoenix," Zhane replied.

"What's going on?" Trey asked emerging from the citadel, he paused suddenly. "Is that?"

"Greetings Trey," Zordon replied.

"Zordon, how?" was all Trey could manage.

"What's going on?" Kimberly asked as her eyes opened.

"You okay?" Josh asked.

"I think so," Kimberly replied as Josh helped her stand.

Zordon turned toward Kimberly. "Are you alright?"

Kimberly's eyes began to glisten with tears. Throwing her arms around the wizard she embraced him. Zordon returned her greeting.

"I never thought we'd see you again," Kimberly whispered.

"Nor I you," Zordon replied.

Kimberly let go and stepped back as Zordon looked around at the others who still looked astonished.

"We seem to be missing a few," Zordon said. "And some of you are new to me," he said looking at Adam.

"I'm Adam, I've heard a lot about you." He said extending his hand.

"And I you," Zordon replied taking his hand in a firm grip.

"I don't understand this," Billy said. "If these powerful beings could bring you back at anytime, why did they wait so long?"

"Billy," Zordon smiled. "I know you have a great understanding of all that is around you, but Lord Tiamat and Lady Phoenix work on a scale more vast than the universe. The life of all that is good is in their hands to protect, what they do or do not is of such a cosmic significance that we will never see a purpose if we can not look beyond ourselves and our circumstances. Hundreds of worlds have been destroyed; hundreds of trillions of lives have been lost so that all this can end."

"Why couldn't these two simply stop Lord Zedd on their own?" Adam asked.

"Because then the Construct is left unguarded and the void escapes destroying all life in the universe." Josh replied. "The Ath'zyn came to give us the power so that we could carry on the fight in our universe, if they could come here and end evil they would, I'm certain of it."

"We can continue this debate later," Zordon said. "We have little time left."

"If I could trouble you with one small thing first?" Josh asked.

"Of course," Zordon replied. "Jason gather the others together,"

"Where are you going?" Jason asked as Josh and Zordon began to descend the steps.

"To talk to Trip," Josh called back.

Before Jason could say another word the two had vanished in a bolt of lighting.

"You heard him," Jason said with a new confidence. "Let's get everyone ready."

"Oh, that feels so good," Red said as the energy washed over his body in a blaze of crimson light.

"You are free to go," Master Vile said taking a step back toward the door. He turned to look at Blue. "As per our agreement," he said setting down six black bands on the ground and stepped out through the door.

"Perfect," Blue said steeping in quickly and collecting the rings.

"What are those?" Pink asked.

"These," Blue said placing one around his wrist, the small ring shrunk to fit flush against his armor. "Will allow us to travel through the Nether."

"The what?" Black asked.

"It's the dimensional space that these freaks use to move without being detected by Lord Zedd. What's more we can even move through his defenses." Blue replied.

"Why do they need these vast armies then?" Red asked. "Why not just put a bomb into Zedd's throne room?"

"Because it takes a being with some intelligence to pass through the Nether. Moving forces en mass as they have been requires a gate to create a stable bridge, as it is, doing what you suggest would require them to enter in small numbers, I suspect all of them are too cowardly to face Zedd on their own. Though I have to say I think it is quite justified. And since a Neo-plutonium reactor was insufficient to get the job done I can't image even a large group being able to move enough destructive force through the Nether to get to Lord Zedd."

"Well where are we going from here then?" Red asked largely ignoring Blue's explanation.

"You four will use the Nether to get to the detention level in the Dark Fortress where Green is being held and secure it, I am going to Zedd's fortress to retrieve one of his toys and then I will meet you there."

"I thought you were going to send Yellow," Red replied.

"That was merely my back up plan in the event that Vile didn't keep his word." Blue replied. "With these, carrying out my plan will be simple, which means more time for random killing." A grin spread across his face as he spoke.

"Then let's get to work." Red replied.

The Psycho Rangers all faded from sight as the darkness of the Nether welcomed their presence.

"What is your status?" Darkonda asked.

"We will transition out of temporal space in twenty minutes." Mondo replied, his image projecting from the cube sitting on the table.

"Very good," Darkonda replied. "We will commence ground operations here, we should be able to disable several of the operational defenses at the capital, but it will still be a hard planet fall."

"We are prepared," Mondo replied, the image cutting out.

"It's time," Darkonda said looking around the room.

"The Psychos have been released." Master Vile replied coming into the room.

"Then we are ready to deploy our forces," Darkonda said.

The group proceeded from the main chamber out onto the steps that led to the base of the palace. In the caverns below hundreds of thousands of Kimera stood waiting, their collective snarls and heavy breathing reverberating on the cavern walls.

"Diabolico, Master Vile, open the portal, I want our forces to come up all around the fortress." Darkonda said.

Diabolico glanced quickly toward Vypra who nodded subtly in response. Looking over at Master Vile the two raised their staffs and began to chant an incantation. The ground of the cavern began to smolder with a sickening blood red glow as lines began to race over the ground forming a heptagram. With a loud crack the symbol pulsated, shaking the palace; rocks fell from the ceiling as the Kimera began to sink rapidly into the ground. As the heads of the last Kimera disappeared below the surface the light vanished in a flash.

"Time to go," Darkonda replied.

Everyone nodded as Rito opened a portal. Ryan nodded to Diabolico and vanished into a shadow. One by one the rest proceeded through the gate, the portal closing as Loki entered last. None noticed the small object at the base of the palace steps still glowing with a crimson fire.

Josh and Zordon stepped into the Astro Mega Ship and proceeded down a series of halls until they came to the work bay. Trip was still hard at work trying to convert the Synthetron into something closer to a molecular assembler. The floor was littered with parts and loose wiring.

"Trip?" Josh called out.

"What is it?" Trip asked.

"I have someone who might be able to help." Josh said.

Trip turned to see the White Ranger, "And how could you help?" Trip asked.

"You said these modifications were done by Lokar's magic, correct?" Josh pressed.

"That's what I'm guessing from the records, yes." Trip replied.

"This is Zordon,"

"You're Zordon?" Trip asked suddenly rising to his feet, his expression changing instantly. "I can't believe this, you are a legend, it was your sacrifice during the Dark War that…" Trip suddenly caught himself. "Sorry, I mean it's an honor to meet you."

"Thank you," Zordon replied. "It pleases me to hear that my legacy lives on even in the distant future. Now, may I have a look at this item in question?"

"Of course," Trip replied quickly sorting through the parts on the ground. "Here it is," he said pulling out the small device from a pile of random parts.

Zordon took the piece and held it for a moment examining it carefully.

"Yes," he said. "This was definitely altered by arcanum."

"Can you fix it?" Josh asked. "When it's active, which seems to be all the time now, Circuit is a little, well evil."

"Yes," Zordon replied as his hands began to glow with a soft white light. "Apparently Lokar has grown too confident in his powers, he used a rather simple hex to join his creation with this device."

Josh and Trip watched as Zordon pulled a web of flailing metal tendrils from the control matrix. With the device held in Zordon's right hand the white glow turned red incinerating the small object. He extended the device back to Trip.

"What was that?" Trip asked taking the matrix from Zordon's hand.

"You would probably call it a Techno-Organic life form. It's somewhat like a parasite for machines."

"Thank you," Trip said.

"Think nothing of it," Zordon replied.

"We need you back at the citadel," Josh replied. "We have a war to get to,"

"Of course," Trip replied. "Just let me get the rest of Circuit and I'll meet you up there."

Josh and Zordon nodded in response as Trip darted from the work bay.

"Now who's going to fix this mess?" Deca asked.

"If we survive this fight someone will do it," Josh promised as he and Zordon began to leave the room.

Zordon looked at Josh and shook his head.

"What?" Josh asked.

"It's just refreshing to see you like this." Zordon replied. "The fate of this universe is at stake and you see the importance in taking the time to help someone even though it is insignificantly small in the big picture."

"I know what it's like to lose people you care about," Josh replied. "I don't know Circuit, but Trip seems attached to him, and it always helps to have friends by your side when you have a challenge to face. Besides," Josh said smiling. "I already know we get there right when we need to."

Darkness parted in the small room behind Zedd's throne as Psycho Blue stepped out into the trophy room. He knew he had to move quickly, even if Zedd had not detected the portal he was certain to notice Blue's aura.

"Guess you should have thought to mask that too," the voice replied.

"Shut up," Blue said as he approached the Savage Sword. "You never contribute anything."

Blue perked up as he heard foot steps approaching. He quickly pulled the sword from the rock. The blade glimmered with a blue light as it was removed and Blue could feel the power pulsate from the weapon.

"We could rule everyone if we kept this for ourselves," The voice replied.

"Not now!" Blue chastised as the darkness of the Nether enveloped him.

No sooner had he gone than the door swung open and Lord Zedd entered the room sword drawn. His breathing was heavy as he glanced around, then his eyes fell on the stone that once held the Savage Sword.

"No!" he cursed slamming a fist against the stone wall. The section of wall shattered in an explosion of dust and debris.

Zedd turned from the room and began to pace back and forth before his throne fuming. The door at the far end opened as Lokar came in quickly.

"My Lord I have dire news!" Lokar said.

"I already know," Lord Zedd vented, his eyes flaring bright.

"Then we should mobilize our legions at once," Lokar said.

"For a lone thief?" Zedd asked growing annoyed at Lokar's impertinence.

"My Lord there is an army in the capital." Lokar said.

"What!?!" Lord Zedd roared as he moved quickly to the balcony.

Lokar cautiously followed him out. As Zedd looked out over his capital he could see strange beasts running through the streets cutting down Putties and Quantrons with ruthless efficiency. Their claws tearing through stone and metal as if it were nothing more than paper, molten granite splattered on their hardened skin with no discernable effect. Their forms were abominable, like a nightmarish collage of the universe's most vicious predators. Slaves exploded in showers of gore as they were violently ripped to shreds by the bizarre creatures.

"How did this happen?" Lord Zedd demanded.

"I know not my Lord," Lokar replied. "They just manifested in the capital moments ago."

"I want Sweeper Teams deployed, launch Velocifighters, unleash Hephaestus and Goldar! Get down there and stop those things now!"

"Yes my Lord," Lokar replied as he leapt from the balcony into the carnage below.

Blue stepped from the Nether's embrace to find the other Psycho Rangers standing by the gate that led into Green's cell. The door was still sealed and the ground was littered with the sparking remains of several Quantrons.

"You should forget about this and keep the sword." The voice repeated.

"He'll make better use of it," Blue replied quietly. "Besides I would like to live to see this end."

"Who are you talking to?" Pink asked.

"No one," Blue replied extending the sword to her. "Hold this."

"What is this?" Pink asked as she took the sword.

"The weapon that will make Green an unstoppable killing machine," Blue replied as he began hacking into the security lock for the cell.

"If it's so powerful why don't I take it?" Red asked walking toward Pink.

"Because it will ultimately grow so powerful that the wielder will be destroyed," Blue said.

Red stopped. "Maybe we should let Green have it then," He agreed.

"Got it," Blue said as the doors began to slide open.

The last door opened leaving only the force field protecting the door. Blue hit another key and the force field dropped. The Psycho Rangers gathered around peering into the dark cell.

"Green?" Red called.

There was no response.

"I thought you said he was still here," Red said with an accusing tone.

"He is," Blue snapped. "Black, Yellow, go get him."

"Who put you in charge," Black began to protest.

"Do it!" Red snarled, glaring at Black.

With a sidelong glance Black and Yellow entered the chamber. The others watched them disappear around the corner. There was a moment of silence.

"You might have to come take a look at this." Black called out.

"Just bring him out," Blue said. "They're going to realize the cell's been opened any minute now."

"Okay," Yellow replied.

There was a quick exchange between the two Psychos before Yellow could be seen coming around the corner, she was hunched over hauling a large machine. The other Psychos backed up as the machine was lugged out into the central room. With a sigh the two Psychos set down the two components, a large monitoring system and a liquid filled cylinder that housed the body of Psycho Green.

The Psychos stared at his heavily mutated form. His hands had long hooked talons; spikes protruded from the back of his elbows. Thick boney ridges ran along his forehead and chest. Small ridges also ran down his back. Blue noticed the talons also grew from his toes.

"Incredible," Blue remarked.

"That's Green?" Yellow asked. "What a freak."

Blue ignored the comment and shut down the containment field. Liquid helium sprayed onto the ground destroying everything it hit and coated the Psycho Ranger's feet with a heavy frost. Green fell from the chamber and splashed into the liquid helium that was quickly evaporating, filling the air with a thick mist.

"Light?" came the voice from Green, a little high from the helium, but still sounding similar to Josh's voice.

Blue raised a hand keeping the others back as Green rolled onto all fours and pushed himself to his feet slowly. With a surge of green light his body transformed. Like the other Psycho Rangers he had ridged armor with thick crests, but the armor on his chest was golden instead of green, his gauntlets, shin guards, and neck guard were also golden. He looked at the other Psycho Rangers and a quivering smile spread across his face.

"Give him the sword," Blue said pushing against Pink.

Pink staggered forward holding out the weapon. "We, uh, brought this for you."

Green took the weapon from her hands, his hand wrapping around the blade. The razor's edge sliced through the armor on his hand and cut into his flesh. With a howl he dropped the sword as the weapon grew in size as the blade drank in some of his power.

"You have to hold it by the handle," Pink offered picking the sword up.

Rotating the weapon she held it out toward Green with the handle facing him. Green stared reluctantly at the weapon for a moment. A shimmer of green light washed over the blade. Green slowly extended his hand and took hold of the weapon's hilt. He drew the blade back admiring the weapon in his hands.

"That should compensate for his lack of being undead and the Bio-reactor no longer being in operation." Blue said.

Suddenly Green began to laugh, a little awkward at first and then as if he were delighted. Without warning he lunged at Pink and decapitated her in a single swipe. The other Psychos leapt back as Green caught her head in the air, her morph failing.

"Do som…" Pink's head began to shout before Green slammed it into the ground splattering the rotted matter inside over the floor.

As if he no longer noticed the others he jammed the sword into Pink's rib cage and began to rip her chest open scattering rotting viscera across the floor, laughing like a child on Christmas morning.

"I think we should get out of here." Blue said.

"I agree," Red replied as the four of them faded back into the safety of the Nether.

With Pink thoroughly dismembered Green's laughter changed to a pitiful sorrowful cackle. Rising from the ground he charged at a random wall and slashed through it with the Savage Sword which had again grown in size.

Astronema was looking over the data she had before her, mostly requisition forms for material needed for the construction of the bastion world. Her eyes were now murky pools darker than night, her pupils swallowed up in a sea of blackness. Instead of her usual attire she wore her combat armor, the helmet resting on the table next to her, the tendrils hanging over the edge swaying slightly just above the floor. At the back of the bridge, guarding the door stood Scorpina and Vexacus. They had been assigned to the Dark Fortress to monitor Astronema after her transformation. While Lokar was unconcerned about any immediate side effects, Lord Zedd wanted to be certain all would proceed smoothly and had seen no need for either warrior to be planet side. To Scorpina this was merely pointless busy work.

Off to one side, against the far wall, Ecliptor sat motionless facing the room, his gaze falling upon Astronema, Scorpina, and Vexacus. His appearance had grown eerie since Lokar had changed him. Scorpina always knew that Ecliptor was a machine, but he had a personality once, with that gone he was little more than a mindless killing machine. The way he stood there as if lifeless was a little unnerving.

"Empress," One of the Quantrons began, its mechanized voice breaking the silence of the room.

"What?" Astronema asked; her tone more threatening than usual.

"There is a breech on the detention level, cell two six seven one one."

"Green," Astronema muttered. "Status?"

"The cell was opened from the outside, unable to locate target."

"We have a breech?!" Astronema asked.

"Negative," The Quantron replied. "No foreign presence detected."

"Something's here," Astronema replied.

"Ecliptor take a team of Quantrons and eliminate Green."

"Yes Empress." Ecliptor replied walking toward the exit from the bridge.

Scorpina and Vexacus moved away from the door slightly giving Ecliptor plenty of room as he marched through the doors.

"Breech in sector seventeen, tracking single target moving through corridor twenty-three." The Quantron announced.

"Open a com channel to Ecliptor." Astronema ordered.

"Opened."

"Ecliptor, it appears the target is moving, he is in sector seventeen, corridor twenty-three, continue to track and eliminate."

"Yes Empress," came Ecliptor's response; the whirring noise from the lift could be heard in the background.

Vexacus turned and moved toward the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Scorpina asked.

"To have some fun," Vexacus replied.

"I didn't give you permission to leave," Astronema said.

"I don't take orders from you," Vexacus replied exiting through the doors.

"You will answer to Lord Zedd for this," Astronema said as the doors closed behind him.

"I'm not going to have to answer to any of you again," Vexacus muttered to himself as he walked quickly down the hall toward the lift.

"Shall I go after him?" Scorpina asked.

"No," Astronema replied. "I'll deal with him later."

Suddenly Astronema felt a darkness fall over her thoughts as a familiar evil crept into her mind.

"What do you require my Lord?" Astronema asked.

"The capital is under attack," Lord Zedd replied, his telepathic voice shaking her to the core. "I require that you send all available troops down to help contain the outbreak."

"I will see to it at once my Lord," Astronema replied.

As suddenly as it had come Astronema felt the presence leave.

"Status of the capital?" Astronema asked.

"Scans show massive concentrations of enemy forces."

"How did they slip past our defenses," she wondered aloud.

"Empress?" Scorpina questioned.

"Open a channel to all commands," Astronema ordered ignoring Scorpina.

"Channel opened."

"This is Astronema to the Thirty-seventh fleet. A large strike force has attacked the capital; all combat ready troops are to deploy immediately to help contain the situation. All craft will remain in low orbit to provide planetary bombardment if needed."

Astronema watched the display as the various commands acknowledged her orders.

"Bring the Dark Fortress down over the capital," Astronema ordered.

"Beginning descent,"

The Rangers were all sitting around the pool at the entrance of the citadel. In the midst of them were several bowls filled with a variety fruit that had been gathered from various trees within the capital. It was amazing that such plants were still alive after such a long period of time, but it seemed not all the laws of science applied to the dimensional pocket in which they were staying. The whole capital seemed to draw in new life from the expanse of quantum energy in which it rested constantly rejuvenating the environment and everything within it. While it was true that they could still see their own world, what little could be seen from their current position, the pocket dimension was still slightly out of phase with their own reality making the space wholly different from Earth, but not a true, separate dimension.

On the rim of the pool Zordon stood looking out over the assembled Rangers. Josh sat on the edge to his right. Trip sat in the back hurriedly reassembling Circuit, only a handful of parts still remaining in the bin next to him.

"As I'm sure you're aware we are about to face what may be the greatest battle since the downfall of the Alliance." Zordon said. "I know there must be doubts among you, but you have all been chosen by myself, or Ninjor; and some of you," he said looking at Tommy. "Were even selected by the dragon and phoenix personally. You have all been chosen for your abilities, both your strengths and your weakness, both are essential, and both can bring you victory or defeat. Never be over confident in your strengths and never cease to overcome your weakness, we are a team and together there is nothing we can not accomplish."

There were nods of agreement from the Rangers as they listened to Zordon speak.

"I know some of you have worked hard to formulate plans for this battle, and while preparation never fails to yield results it is useless if one can not also be flexible, remember this. Trey,"

"Thank you," Trey said standing up before the others, Zordon took a seat off to the left of Trey. "I was selected to outline the basic strategy we will be using to win this war. While I know we have discussed the basics of our plan and the roles we each play there are targets of priority which we feel would be best eliminated in order to accomplish our goals.

"As you know there will be two enemy forces, those of Lord Zedd's and those of his would be executioners. Given the strength of Lord Zedd's Empire we feel it is vital that we seek to focus our efforts on Lord Zedd's forces. It is likely that we will be seen as beneficial for a time to the usurper forces and spared an assault from both sides. In the past the Machine Empire has shown a lack of interest to those outside their objective and will allow for outside interference so long as it suits their motives. Those of you on the ground will seek to take out Cyclopsis and any other large war machines Lord Zedd possesses."

"Does he have others?" Adam asked. "I mean now that the huge guy was taken out by Josh."

"Lord Zedd does possess other war machines," Zordon replied. "Towering walkers called Reapers. While alone one would not be a match for a Zord, they exist in large numbers."

"In addition, the Machine Empire has its matter transducer allowing them to increase any of their warriors to Zord size." Trey added.

"And who knows what else either side may have developed that we are not familiar with," Josh added.

"Do you know of anything else?" Jason asked.

"I saw a lot of things when I was shown this final battle," Josh replied. "And while I can't tell you what all these things are and what they do I saw things that have yet to be mentioned."

"Such as?" Billy asked intrigued.

"Strange beasts, a huge War Zord with the body of a spider, towering machines that looked like walking fortresses, strange insects," Josh paused. "The point is this; we're going into this fight with only a vague knowledge of what we're facing."

"Which is why all of you should be prepared for anything," Zordon said. "The challenges you face today will push you to the limit of your abilities, but I believe in each of you and know you'll give it your all."

"Rocky and Shawna, you will remain with Andros on the Astro Mega Ship until we can locate Aisha, from there you should be able to deploy quickly using the gliders to her location." Trey added.

"Right," Rocky nodded.

Kimberly noticed for the first time that the two had Morphers strapped to their wrists. Both were small and black with a covered keypad, they looked identical to Andros'. She wondered for a moment how they could tell them apart.

"The rest of our forces in space will be concentrating on the Dark Fortress and the Flagship of the Thirty-Seventh Fleet." Trey continued. "After that targets will be given priority by threat level with the goal of maintaining a balance in the two forces, our hope is that they remain strong enough to mutually destroy one another, to have one side overwhelm the other would prove problematic. That is also a matter of consideration for the ground forces, though estimating over all strength of such a diverse group will be difficult."

"There is one more thing you should all be aware of," Zordon said. "Lord Zedd has released a substance into the air called 'Nightmare Dark'. It is a slightly toxic substance and while it does break down over time, it blocks out most light and distorts most of the electromagnetic spectrum. This means that the Zords will not recover energy as quickly as you are use to, and it will also hinder communication between those of you in space and those of you on the ground."

"So are we ready to go?" Josh asked rising to his feet.

There was a unanimous agreement from the other Rangers as they rose to join him.

"I got it!" Trip said jumping up with Circuit in his arms.

"Trip, where are we?" Circuit asked, a subtle glow returning to his eyes.

There was some subtle laughter around the room as the Rangers turned to see Circuit functional once again.

"I'll fill you in later," Trip promised. "Right now we have a war to win, I'm going to need you on the Time Shadow helping me coordinate."

"Guys I just thought of something," Billy said. "How are we going to get the Zords out of here?"

"We have that all taken care of," Josh assured him.

"All right," Jason said. "It's morphing time."

The Rangers all engaged their Morphers; the chamber was filled with flashes in fiery explosions of light as each one changed into a powerful warrior. Rocky inhaled deeply as black energy washed over him and Shawna transformed in a burst of pink light; the strange sensations rushing through their bodies filling them with a strength unlike any they had ever known before. Their new forms where like Andros' armor with only a variation being their color. With their cycles completed Josh was the only one still unmorphed.

"Zordon, open the portal," Josh said removing his Power Coin from underneath his bracer.

Zordon nodded and picked his helmet up from the ground and put it back on. He began chanting as Josh held his coin out in front of him clasped between his open palms. There was a sudden flash of green light from his hands, a green liquid began to wash over his body forming the core of his armor. The samurai style plates began appearing, in the bright light the Rangers could see the dragon talon branded into the shoulder plates and the chest of the armor. The helmet began to form as the jaws of a dragon began to close around his head, the mouth sealing with a black visor. On the brow of the helmet three golden talons extended upward as the guards slid down around the sides and back of the head. With his transformation complete the coin vanished from his hands and a burning emblem of the dragon talon lit below his feet as green light flashed up around him in a column. The Rangers shielded their eyes from the intense light. When it died out Josh was standing before them fully armored in his dragon samurai armor.

"Whoa," Zhane said. "That is one serious looking suit of armor."

A loud rumble like thunder interrupted them as the portal opened bathing the room in its soft white glow.

"There is so much I still wish to discuss with you Rangers, but it will have to wait for it is time to meet with destiny," Zordon said.

"Time to go," Josh agreed. "May the power protect us all."

"May the power protect us," the Rangers agreed.

One by one the Rangers stepped through the portal, each one knowing that no matter what awaited them on the other side they had to prevail, at any cost.

Vexacus stepped off the lift into the engine room. Quantrons were busy moving from station to station monitoring the levels in the reactor. Without a moment of hesitation he quickly moved passed them into the core of the engine room, a pair of Quantrons moved to block him with their weapons.

"This is a restricted area, no admittance without clear…"

The Quantron was unable to finish its statement as Vexacus unsheathed his sword and relieved both machines of their heads. Two more Quantrons opened fire from the walkway above. Vexacus quickly dove to the side unleashing a blast of energy from his hand melting a hole through the chest of one of his attackers. The Quantron dropped to the ground as the molten slag dribbled down its back in clumps.

Finding cover under the walkway below the other Quantron, Vexacus quickly leapt into the air and slashed a cross pattern into the base of the walkway hacking through the Quantron's foot. The automaton toppled over the railing as it struggled to find balance on its damaged limb. Vexacus was quick to pounce on the drone and run his sword through its back and into the floor.

Wrenching his blade from the ground Vexacus proceeded toward the reactor core pulling a small black box from his belt and began pressing a sequence of buttons.

"Attack on the reactor core," The Quantron announced.

"Green's there already?" Astronema asked; a slight sense of panic could be heard in her voice.

"Negative, target designated 'Green' is in sector five, security station eight."

"Open a channel to Vexacus," Astronema ordered.

"Unable to establish contact."

Astronema turned to face Scorpina, "Go find out what is going on!" she ordered.

"Immediately," Scorpina replied with a shallow bow before ducking through the door.

She ran down the corridor toward the lift, what in the world was going on?

Green flew across the room slashing a Quantron into ribbons, the Savage Sword flailing wildly in his hands. Bouncing off the floor he leapt at a wall cutting several slashes into the thick armored surface before flipping to the floor. As he landed he raised his hands into the air sending radiant streaks of green lighting arcing out through several advancing Quantrons burning holes through their chests. His psychotic laughter reverberated off the walls of the security check point.

Ecliptor stood on the far end obscured behind the mangled door observing the situation.

"Ecliptor to Astronema," he said into his com.

"Go ahead," Astronema replied.

"We've located Green, but there's a problem, he has the Savage Sword."

"What?" she said with a degree of shock, there was a momentary pause, "I'll make a report to Lord Zedd, send the Quantrons in to attempt to neutralize him, we can't afford to having him running loose,"

"Yes Empress," Ecliptor said cutting the transmission. "First and second team move in," Ecliptor ordered with a wave of his arm.

Two teams of five Quantrons each began moving forward into the room, each one was carrying a liquid helium dispenser on their back, nozzles already trained on the Psycho Ranger. Detonations shook the room as Demorphing Grenades were lobbed over the heads of the first two teams. The air suddenly went white as the Quantrons opened fire on Green.

The Psycho Ranger leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the streams of liquid helium. Ecliptor could see that the grenades had had no effect on his morphed state; the sword must have increased his powers. Unexpectedly Green clung to the ceiling and hung there, his head rotating around to watch the Quantrons below.

Then a shimmering circle of green light appeared on the ceiling and sparks of light began to fall showering the Quantrons in a blaze of green, the energy quickly stripped their bodies apart in melting layers as if it were acidic.

"Third and Forth teams into position and open fire!" Ecliptor ordered.

Ten more Quantrons moved through the doorway fanning out around the shower of green death, aiming their weapons. Before they could act Green cut a hole in the ceiling, a two foot thick slab of armor fell to the floor with a loud thud, the edge of the material was still red hot. With a howl of delight the Psycho Ranger vanished through the opening crawling away in a lizard-like fashion.

"Target is on the move again, teams one and two have been destroyed, requesting additional forces." Ecliptor reported as he and the remaining two teams moved on.

Lokar unleashed a blast of energy that tore down the center of the street leveling a distant building as every Kimera in his path was stuck down, their bodies collapsing to the ground in a heap of flames. Lokar looked around him, as far as he could see more of the abomination seemed to push forward. Where were they all coming from? And more importantly who had sent them? Such primitive beasts did not have the means to bypass their detection, even now Lokar could sense their thoughts, they were no more intelligent than any savage beast; their minds simply could not engineer a feat such as this. Were there still any left who opposed Lord Zedd who could muster this kind of power?

Lokar's thoughts were broken as another creature charged down the empty street bounding over the burning remains of its cohorts. With a gesture Lokar liquefied the monster, its body bursting into a spray of blood and runny flesh. Whoever was behind it Lokar was certain there was still more to come, this was likely only the tip of a much larger invasion.

The Rangers materialized on the southern end of Zedd's capital up on a ridge looking down on the intimidating black tower that rose above the vile black city in the crater below. The hidden streets looked almost peaceful, only the occasional flash betraying the war which raged on the streets in the Palace's shadow. Beyond the crater the spires of the black city stretched for miles in every direction, like a forest of stalagmites. Even a Zord could easily find itself lost amid the dreary entangled landscape.

"How horrible," Kimberly said unable to contain the shock at the drastic change in the landscape.

"He did all this in two months?" Billy said in disbelief.

"Lord Zedd possesses a great power," Zordon said. "The Palace was erected in no more than a few moments. As for the rest, when you have conquered as many worlds as Lord Zedd has, transforming a world becomes a quick and efficient process."

"It's hard to believe this use to be Angel Grove," Jason said looking out toward Palace. "We have to end this,"

"I agree," Josh said. "The fleet of the Machine Empire will be here any minute, which means we need to make our move now."

"Alright," Jason said. "Call for the Zords."

Josh and Zordon exchanged a sidelong glance as they both produced their weapons. Zordon manifest his staff, the burning wings unfolded as a screech pierced the air reminiscent of a mighty falcon. In a blaze of green energy Josh summoned forth his dual bladed Naganata. Each blade rose from the mouth of the golden dragon heads on either end of the staff; both then thrust their weapons into the air crossing them. A bright burst of light radiated out turning twilight as bright as day. When the light died out the Zords stood on the hillside. The Ultra Zord was already assembled, the pieces of the Dragon Zord shining with a strange brilliance.

"That was amazing," Andros said.

"Wow," Rocky managed as he stared in awe at the army of Zords.

"Alright," Jason began. "Everyone to your Zords, you know what to do."

As the Rangers scattered to their Zords Josh pulled Jason aside. Zordon and Kimberly stood waiting.

"Kimberly is coming with me to face Lord Zedd." He said. "Zordon is going into the city as well, he has his own destiny."

"I understand you and Zordon have your own roads, but Kimberly is no match for Lord Zedd," Jason replied.

"I need her by my side for this, I couldn't tell her this part, but she will decide the outcome of this battle," Josh said. "She's already agreed to come with."

Even with the visor masking his face Jason could sense the intensity of Josh's expression beneath it and from his words he knew he was completely serious.

"Alright," Jason nodded. "Keep her safe,"

"With my life," Josh promised as the two parted. "May the power protect you."

"And you," Jason called back.

"You ready?" Josh asked looking at Kimberly.

Kimberly didn't say a word, but nodded in response. Josh looked at Zordon who acknowledge the unspoken question with a subtle nod.

"Then let's go," Josh said as the three of them began to descend toward the cityscape below.

The doors slid open and Scorpina stepped out into the reactor room. The bodies of Quantrons were scattered about the room. Their assailant obviously indiscriminant with the lack of combat abilities the operations model possessed. Jagged blade marks were carved into various panels, some from attacks on Quantrons; others seemed to have a more purposeful existence. Scorpina pulled her sword as she activated her com.

"Scorpina to Astronema,"

"Go ahead,"

"I've just entered the reactor room, no sign of the target, but all the Quantrons have been eliminated."

"That sector has been locked down since the report; the only one to come through the lift is you. Search the area, combat teams are being dispatched."

"Understood, commencing my search," Scorpina replied.

"Allow me to save you the trouble," a voice came from the catwalk above the core.

"What's going on?" Astronema demanded.

"It can't be," Scorpina stammered.

Vexacus stepped around the edge of the reactor, his sword still in hand. The mechanisms of his bionic eyes whirled as he focused on Scorpina.

"What are you doing?" Scorpina asked.

"Just evening up the odds a little," Vexacus replied coldly.

"Have you lost your mind? Lord Zedd will…"

"Lord Zedd will what?" Vexacus snapped interrupting her. "By nightfall that short sighted fool will be dead and a glorious new empire will be rising to take the place of his inept creation."

"But, what…" Scorpina suddenly stopped as Astronema issued orders.

"He's stalling, attack him now!"

Scorpina charged forward and leapt onto the catwalk slashing her blade toward Vexacus' chest. The mercenary deflected her strike pinning her weapon to the wall with his own before kicking her in the chest. She flew back, her blade sparking as it slid between the serrated blade and the wall before tumbling to the floor, thankfully still in possession of her weapon.

"We've had this dance before," Vexacus mocked. "I think we both know the outcome."

"Don't let him get to you," Astronema warned. "Check the area, he might have planted something."

Scorpina screamed as she rushed back in hurling her weapon at him. Vexacus was quick to sidestep her attack pressing his body against the wall, the blade narrowly missing his chest. To Vexacus' surprise Scorpina had not moved to attack him, she had rolled off the catwalk and was down near the ground level of the reactor.

"I found it," she said.

The device was definitely a bomb, some sort of living metal, from the look of it. It had already integrated itself with the body of the reactor; pulsating blue metal, like veins, were slowly spreading over the surface of the core.

Vexacus leapt from the ledge as she reached for it and landed on the ground next to Scorpina attempting to impale her with his blade as he fell. Scorpina rolled clear as her sword arced back cutting through the catwalk and skimming over the top of Vexacus' head, his quick reflexes allowing him to duck just in time.

"What was it?" Astronema demanded as Scorpina fell into a guarded stance.

"A bomb, it's already fused with the core." Scorpina replied as Vexacus charged in sending a bolt of energy from his hand directed at her.

"Is there a timer and, if so, how much time is left?" Astronema asked as Scorpina cut through the energy with her sword, sparks flying from the tip of her weapon.

Scorpina was about to reply when Vexacus seized her sword arm and threw a knee into her stomach. Even with her armor it still hurt; as she doubled over Vexacus launched a reverse roundhouse, the heel of his boot slamming into the side of her helmet knocking her to the floor.

"About a minute," Scorpina cough, a small trickle of blood running down her lip.

"And we can't jettison the core," Astronema cursed. "Ecliptor launch all Quantrons and dispatch a tech team to the core, we're getting out of here."

The line went dead; Astronema obviously had more important things on her mind than giving her any orders. She knew the Dark Fortress was about to be destroyed; if she could just get to the lift first she could ensure Vexacus died here for his treachery. With a sudden burst of speed Scorpina leapt to her feet and ran for the lift. In a matter of seconds she had reached the door and activated the controls, the doors slid open and she rolled through them pressing her back against the inner wall. She turned to look back, Vexacus stood in front of the Reactor watching her, his sword extended to his side as if waiting for her to attack.

Without another thought she reached around the door plunging her weapon into the lift controls for the reactor room. As the doors closed she watched as Vexacus stood staring back at her, apparently resigned to his death.

With the doors shut Vexacus grinned beneath his armored mask, such a simple girl, she really did underestimate him. A veil of darkness began to envelope Vexacus and, after a moment, he had vanished.

Inside the lift Scorpina smashed open a red panel of plate glass labeled 'emergency'. A plunger thrust out, the words 'eject' were written across the surface of the circular top. Scorpina pushed the plunger back into the wall. A five second timer began to countdown, four pairs of padded bars snapped out of the walls with frightening speed; Scorpina slid between the nearest pair. As the counter reached one the harnesses pulled in locking Scorpina in place, the force of the grip was intense, almost suffocating; but as the countdown reached zero she had little time to think about it. With the force of a rocket the lift shot down through the Dark Fortress exiting through one of the lift ports in a plume of fire as the small pod fell to the planet surface below.

"My Empress hurry," Ecliptor said holding the doors to their personal escape pod open.

"Notify the fleet of our situation," Astronema ordered as she grabbed her helmet and weapon and made a dash for the pod.

"Transmission sent," the Quantron replied.

Astronema barely acknowledged its response as the door to the escape pod closed; her mind was elsewhere. Whoever was attacking seemed to have coordinated their efforts well. Still, Vexacus' assignment couldn't have been planned in advance; it must have merely been a beneficial coincidence for the enemy. What could they hope to accomplish with only a ground attack. Even if they had a fleet, the only ones who ever had the forces to oppose them in space were the…

"Launching," Ecliptor said as he pulled the released lever sending the pod shooting from the Dark Fortress at high speeds.

"Enemy translation detected," the transmission was relayed from the bridge of the Dark Fortress, the autonomous crew continuing in their duties until the end.

"It can't be," Astronema said looking out the port on the side of the pod as hundreds of ships began materializing above the moon.

Her attention was drawn away from the enemy as columns of fire burst from the hull of the Dark Fortress as the fusion reactor failed; its death throes like that of a dying sun. The expansion of energy continued to cause munitions and weapon's capacitors to explode in violent discharges as the Dark Fortress was consumed in a giant red sphere of fire. Debris was thrown to the Earth, lighting streaks along the atmosphere like fiery claws.

With a final convulsion the blazing red orb collapsed radiating rings of energy out in every direction. Then, with a flash of white the last of the core's energy was spent in a furious starburst explosion, the energy dancing in sparks over the shields of nearby warships.

"Mark my words Ecliptor," Astronema said watching the light die. "Before this day ends someone will suffer for this atrocity."

"Commander Deviot," the Quantron began. "Transmission from the Dark Fortress, the reactor is about to nova."

"Order all craft to move away, raise shields." Deviot replied.

It seemed the Dark Princess was having trouble, so much the better for him, with the Dark Fortress eliminated there would undoubtedly be an opportunity for his own advancement; it was now simply a matter of keeping things under control and carrying out Lord Zedd's orders.

"Enemy translation detected." the Quantron announced.

"What? Get me a visual," Deviot demanded, more furious that he would not be able to witness the end of the Dark Fortress than with the enemy intrusion.

The holographic display flickered to life showing multiple ships translating into real space in high orbit over the moon.

"Looks like the remnants of the Machine Empire have come looking for revenge," Deviot scoffed. "Notify all commands and bring us around, we'll crush them quickly."

"Transmission sent,"

"Executing orders," the Quantron stationed at navigations replied.

Then with a huge rupture, sending out arcs of red light like gaseous ripples in the void The Machina translated into real space. The once brilliant city had been redesigned; buildings and factories were now platforms for massive weapon arrays and defensive armaments. The city itself was divided by a large cannon that now ran the length of the ship from the prow to the clockwork palace near the aft. The giant firing port was capable of swallowing all but the largest of Lord Zedd's warships.

"Notify Lord Zedd of the situation and advise all commands to take evasive action," Deviot said barely noticing the cloud of fire that lit up the sky, the death cry of the Dark Fortress.

On the ground below, on the western edge of the city on the cliffs above the grimy waters of the ocean, Darkonda and his fellow conspirator watched the sky in delight as the light of an enormous fireball pierced the blackened firmament; rings of fire burst from the core highlighting the barely visible streaks as the debris rained down, burning away in the atmosphere.

"I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever see the day," Vexacus said stepping past Darkonda.

"And King Mondo has just arrived as well," Darkonda announced. "I just received the transmission signal from The Machina."

"It would appear all is going according to plan," Master Vile said. "Though I would caution against an early celebration."

"I never celebrate until the job is done," Vexacus growled. "Besides we still have Cyclopsis and Hephaestus to deal with, not to mention Trakeena's forces and the Reapers."

"We shall have our answer to those little problems as soon as the Machine Empire and Divatox are within range to deploy their forces to the planet," Darkonda assured him. "In the mean time I would say it is time for you four to contribute," he said looking at the demons.

"Our forces are at your disposal," Diabolico replied with a nod raising his staff into the sky.

Lightning leapt from Diabolico's staff and coruscated over the ground before them. Slowly sinister forms began to rise from the ground, Vypra's snake warriors, Olympius' ghouls, Loki's vampires, and his own demon fiends. More and more began to ascend until tens of thousands of warriors stood before them ready to fight.

"Impressive," Master Vile said. "But I think we can do better."

Producing a flask of blood from his cloak he began pouring the thick substance over the ground forming a triangle with three bars passing through it while Rito placed nine candles at the points of the triangle and the end of each line. With a wave of his hand they all lit with an eerie blue flame.

Then both of them stepped back and began to recite an incantation, their words becoming faster and faster until they had blurred into an unintelligible gibberish. The flames on the candles began to rise into small pillars and the sky above began to pulsate with sickening green clouds. Master Vile stopped chanting while Rito continued.

"Citizens of Angel Grove," Master Vile began as if addressing a crowd. "Rise up and destroy your executioner and all who stand with him!"

With a loud clap of thunder the sky split open and a swirling vortex of green energy twisted to the ground like a giant tornado. Howls and shrieks could be heard as the writhing souls of the dead blew about within the storm winding their way down to the ground below. Within seconds the squall had vanished beneath the ground and the wailing ceased. The candles extinguished as a strong wind swept around them all. Master Vile inhaled deeply as if sensing something on the wind. A low moaning could be heard faintly as if hanging just beyond sight.

"They are coming," he said as he began to walk toward the city.

"Time to end this then," Darkonda said drawing his weapon and following after Vile.

The others began to follow, the massive armies of the demons began moving, the sound of their footfalls a terrible portent of the carnage about to be unleashed.

Lord Zedd paced on the edge of his balcony. The omens were grim indeed. The light of day that had swept through his kingdom moments ago surely heralded the arrival of a powerful force for good, and one he was unfamiliar with at that. Then just after that the Dark Fortress had exploded in a giant fireball and now a soul storm had descended upon his kingdom. Whoever was behind all this was certainly powerful; unless it was a group of powerful warriors, but it didn't fit, no one group commanded the powers of darkness and light. Could it be that he had grown so powerful that the rest of the known universe had allied against him? Lord Zedd began to laugh at the thought, was he now so powerfully unstoppable that all who still opposed him had formed a desperate alliance and now marched against him ready to strike him down? This was too perfect. In a single day he would see all the opposition left to stand against him fall in one glorious battle. With his laughter diminishing Lord Zedd returned to his throne room and took a seat upon his throne. It would be interesting indeed to see who walked through that door to challenge him.

"What was that?" Kimberly asked as the soul storm vanished into the ground, a chill running through her body.

"More trouble," Josh replied.

He looked around for a moment. The Ultra Zord had begun its approach to the city, but had taken a different route through the mountains, using the terrain as cover. Jason and the others must be attempting to surprise the enemy, no, it was more than that. They had appeared on the southern side of the city, but the main gate of Zedd's palace faced east; they must be trying to draw forces out the main gate and away from the south. He couldn't see the Q-Rex, but could only assume it was following the Ultra Zord. The Ultra Zord's head barely visible as it moved toward the capital. The others had all departed for the battle that was beginning above; they should be there by now.

"What kind of trouble?" Kimberly asked not satisfied with the quick answer.

"The magical, horrible, undead kind." Josh said still distracted. "This whole area is likely to be filled with zombies in a moment."

"Then we should go now," Kimberly said, unease filled her voice.

"We should," Josh agreed refocusing on their situation. "Let's go," he said as they began to sprint toward the capital. "Any moment this is going to turn into one huge battle that won't end until Lord Zedd falls."

Kimberly tried not to think about the horrors that they would soon face, and the difficulties that lay ahead. She had promised Josh she would stand by him until the end of this and that was exactly what she was going to do. This war was going to end here today, one way or the other.

"All ships form up on Pyramidas," Andros ordered. "Enemy contact in sixty seconds,"

"Ready to go," Zhane replied.

"In position," Trip said.

Pyramidas raced toward the Thirty-seventh fleet flanked by Andros on the right and Zhane on the left, Trip was out in front with the Time Shadow forming a wedge around the giant pyramid craft.

"I can't find the Dark Fortress," Trey relayed.

"You don't suppose that's what that explosion was do you?" Zhane asked.

"We can't afford to be that optimistic," Trey replied. "I've located the flagship; that is now our primary target."

"Right," Andros replied.

Andros was lost for a moment staring out into the two fleets drawing closer together amid the tiny points of light that dotted the heavens. Was it already over? Was his sister dead?

"Andros you okay?" Rocky asked looking back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Activate weapon systems and prepare to engage."

"Right," Shawna replied flipping several switches on the console.

It was amazing to both of them that with their Ranger powers also came the knowledge of how to use them and the equipment they had at their disposal. Rocky wished that school had worked like this.

"Machine Empire ships coming into sensor range," Trey said. "Oh no,"

"What is it?" Andros demanded.

"The Machina," Trey replied.

"On screen," Andros ordered.

Rocky activated several controls on his console bringing up a magnified image. The bow of The Machina was barely visible gliding out from behind the moon.

"That's a big ship," Rocky said under his breath.

"Do we change our target priority?" Andros asked.

"I need a minute," Trey said. "The computer is still calculating fleet strength of both sides."

Suddenly a point of blue light began to form at the tip of the main cannon; a swirling vortex of energy became visible as it collapsed into the singularity, the point of light growing in intensity.

"Gravimetric flux detected," Trip said. "Power is growing at an exponential rate."

"This is going to be bad," Zhane said.

There was a brilliant flash as the blue light exploded into a spiral of red and black light that burst from the cannon. The distortion tore a path through the fleet crushing several craft too slow to evade, their forms crumpling around the impact point.

Beneath The Machina another ship emerged from hyperspace, a sleek craft lined with a series of fins, the contour like that of a shark. With frightening speed it raced down the line cleared by The Machina while the Machine Empire flagship itself launched nearly a dozen large projectiles from its deck toward the planet along the same line the Megalodon was taking.

The Thirty-seventh fleet, having recovered from the surprise attack, began firing on the advancing ship. The Megalodon's shields held, with most of the attacks failing to hit as the ship swiftly evaded the slow targeting systems of the ship's capital weapons. The projectiles rushed over the top of the Megalodon and entered the atmosphere lighting a trail of fire, their presence largely ignored by the Thirty-seventh.

There was another flash as a second volley of projectiles was launched from the deck of The Machina catching up with the Megalodon in moments.

"I want a scan of those projectiles," Deviot ordered watching the supposed cannon shots gaining with the Megalodon.

"Scans show no warhead," one of the Quantrons replied.

"I knew it," Deviot grumbled. "Open…"

"New targets detected," the Quantron interrupted.

"Where? Bring up the display!" Deviot ordered.

The image of the battle shifted to focus on four ships coming up from the planet toward the fleet.

"No," Deviot stammered, forgetting all that was occurring for a moment. "It can't be them, they're all dead."

"Incoming attack," a Quantron announced snapping Deviot back to reality.

"Alert all commands that the Rangers have returned," Deviot said. "And have the fleet concentrate their fire on The Machina; begin launching Velocifighters when in range. Do not let anything else get past us, they can not be allowed to deploy anymore ground forces!"

"Transmission sent," the Quantron replied.

"Command acknowledge." The tactical Quantron replied.

General Havoc stood on the bridge of the Megalodon watching the chaos unfold. He was dressed in a white command jacket with armored shoulder pads. Armored gloves and boots were visible under his sleeves and pant legs. Like Divatox he also wore a golden helmet though his was fashioned more like a knight's except for the wide rim around the forehead.

When his sister had approached him about this venture he had thought she had lost her mind. Now however, it appeared they might actually pull off this coup. Still it was too early to be celebrating.

"Deploy the Zords," Havoc ordered.

A Piranhatron uttered an affirmation in a series of tones. Three large torpedoes were launched from the front of the ship toward the capital on the planet below. Havoc watched for a moment as the supersonic projectiles bored into the atmosphere in a blaze of red light.

"Come about and prepare to engage the fleet," Havoc ordered not even giving the torpedoes another glance; Divatox was on her own now, he had his own battle to win.

Goldar's hands twitched anxiously as he sat in the cockpit of Cyclopsis. Next to him was Hephaestus. The two were standing at the edge of the bridge that connected the palace to the main city. While most of the current fighting was taking place in the lower city beneath the palace, the slave districts, Goldar and Hephaestus had been deployed to defend the main entrance to the fortress. With the plasma vents that ran around the perimeter of the palace and the support struts of the bridge, anything that attempted to scale the columns would be vaporized before reaching the top. Of course just the presence of Cyclopsis and Hephaestus seemed to be enough to detour these strange creatures that had appeared in the slave district. While many of their number had spread into the main city they had given a wide birth to the east side where they were standing guard, perhaps they weren't as mindless as the initial reports had indicated.

To Goldar though this was a waste of his skills, the Reaper war machines had been drawn in and redeployed along the crater rim roughly half a mile from his current position. That made him the last line of defense against ground forces, at least any ground forces of significant size. He should be on the frontlines, it would have been better to save the Reapers for smaller targets and to support the Putties and Quantrons in the slave district rather than use them to try to whittle down any assaults, leaving him to clean up the broken remains of anything sturdy enough to make it through their lines, not that any word had reached him as to the nature of the enemy, or even a presence to be dealt with. They could have even been deployed to the bridge to act as a deterrent for these strange creatures.

Hephaestus stood by quietly, the ears had split open into multiple segments that were rotating and shifting as the complex sensor array searched for targets. Every so often the head would shift and Goldar would take notice, watching to see if the sinister titan had discovered an enemy.

In the sky above Goldar could see a few streaks of fire, a potential sign that something had entered the atmosphere, but it was also possible that it was nothing more than debris from the battle above. Even if it was some manner of lander it could take nearly fifteen minutes for the objects to reach the ground from orbit assuming a free fall; it could be twice as long for a controlled descent, and even longer for the delivered forces to work their way forward, and this was only if the planetary defenses were unable to destroy the targets first. Goldar sat back in his seat with a frustrated sigh; this could be a long wait.

Hephaestus suddenly stood up straight, the sensors all focused on a single point. With a shrieking howl the giant machine suddenly scurried off, its multiple limbs carrying it quickly after its intended quarry as it vanished into the darkness.

"Goldar to command, Hephaestus has left his station, shall I pursue?"

"Negative," the autonomous voice replied. "Remain at your post; orders will be sent to recall Hephaestus."

With a growl of discontentment Goldar slumped down in his chair, it would be nice if he had some excuse to ignore orders and pursue his own ambitions.

Suddenly his instrument panel lit up as lights warned of incoming targets from above. Goldar jumped back onto the bridge as three objects slammed into the ground before him burying themselves almost completely in the ground. As he turned to look, using his scanners to cut through the dust, three round pillars remained rising a few meters out of the ground. There was a hiss as the tops of the pylons broke open and a thick gelatinous ooze began pouring out from the frames. Large forms began to rise from the pylons, glowing eyes lit from beneath the muck. Their forms were barely distinguishable under the sludge that covered their bodies. One of the three had large wings, another had a narrow fin running over the top of the head; the last had three protrusions, one coming from the top of the head, and one of each side.

"This could be interesting," Goldar mused.

In the distance Goldar could see that the other fireballs were indeed growing closer, it appeared that he would soon get his fill of combat.

"I've got something on the sensors," Billy relayed.

"Can you tell what it is?" Jason asked.

"No, but the signature suggests a War Zord, but it's closing fast."

"Tommy, you getting this?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Tommy replied.

"I need you to move to higher ground so you can give us some cover." Jason said.

"I'm on it," Tommy replied as the Q-Rex broke from behind the Ultra Zord and began sprinting up the hillside.

"Weapons are ready," Adam replied.

"Summoning the Ultra Sword," Ashley relayed as the massive blade manifest in the Zord's right hand.

"Target is closing," Billy said watching the city line. "It should clear the buildings in a few more seconds."

"I see it!" Tommy shouted as two burning red bolts flew toward the cityscape.

The dark object leapt over them flying at the Ultra Zord with frightening speed.

"Evade!" Jason ordered.

Above the Palace, so insignificant that it went unnoticed in the swelling conflict, a small brilliant ball of fire soared down, missing the main tower by a few meters before smashing into the crater below. As it struck the ground fire ringed out in all directions burning away the Kimera that still clogged the streets with their presence. With the fire dissipated the sphere of energy that had kept its occupant safe beneath it, dissolved. Left in the center of the burning flames was the laughing form of Psycho Green, his burning, ethereal green eyes visible through the gloss black surface of his visor.


	20. Chapter 20

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-20-

"Now this is interesting," Blue said.

"What have you got?" Red asked.

The Psychos were standing on the pinnacle of Lord Zedd's Palace watching the carnage below. Blue was tied into the communications network getting information on the battle to assist Red in making a command decision on where to strike.

"It seems that the Power Rangers have shown up in space," Blue replied.

"Are you serious?" Black asked.

"Which ones?" Yellow interrupted unable to contain her excitement.

"Give me a second," Blue replied waving his hand at them. "I'm trying to get a visual feed."

The Psychos watched him impatiently as his head shifted around, privy to images that they could not see.

"It looks like it's just the other Rangers in space, oh wait, here's something interesting,"

"What?!" Red demanded growing impatient with Blue's vagueness.

"It seems Hephaestus has found something," Blue said. "It's going to be a little harder to tap into his ocular sensors so try and be patient."

Blue sat motionless for a moment, the circuit diagrams of communication relays and programming code streamed down the front of his HUD in a bright green as he manipulated the data with his neural interface trying to establish a link with the war machine. The image behind the code work began to flicker producing heavy static, the coding shifted to a bright orange to improve contrast. Slowly the static began to clear showing several buildings moving rapidly passed the field of vision. The image shifted slightly, rotating to the left, presumably as Hephaestus was walking partly on the side of a building.

Suddenly the cityscape ended, there was a flash of red and the image lurched forward with such great speed that Blue dropped to a knee to stabilize himself against the vertigo. The image of the Ultra Zord's head loomed on the display before the image went black again; the flashing neon orange writing informing Blue that the signal pathway had been recoded.

"I lost it," Blue muttered.

"Did you see anything?" Red asked.

"I saw their Ultra Zord," Blue said shaking his head as his display returned to normal. "They're on the east side of the city."

"Then let's go," Red ordered. "We can use the Nether to enter their Zord and take them out."

"That won't work," Blue said.

"And why is that?" Red asked, his tone implying that he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"Because everything the Rangers have is a fusion of magic and technology. The Zords, the Command Center, both were shielded and sealed against magic; if we want the Rangers we're going to have to rip them out of that tin can of theirs."

"Or sit back and let something else do it for us," Red replied. "Let's keep an eye on the situation for now."

"You know," Blue began. "I think death has actually made you smarter."

"Shut up and move," Red growled.

In a shimmer of light the Psychos headed east, streams of light bouncing from building to building as they darted toward the Ultra Zord's location.

The darkness of space was cast aside as all manner of energy weapons and projectiles were exchanged across the void. Torpedoes flew silently across the void between the two fleets, their silhouettes' barely visible in the shadow of the planet, before impacting in fiery plumes of red and orange on the kinetic shielding of the opposing fleet. Smaller ships buckled and exploded in brilliant bursts of radiant light, a mini nova in their own right, as fighters crossed the darkness strafing smaller cruisers while protecting their own ships, their attacks little more than a flicker beneath the giant metal behemoths that continued to spew death into the vacuum.

"We need a target!" Andros demanded as their small group raced into the fiery maw.

"We're inside the engagement zone," Trip relayed.

"I don't have the numbers yet," Trey said.

"Then I'm calling it," Andros said. "Engage the Machine Empire, target the smaller strike cruisers. We're going to open up The Machina for the Thirty-seventh."

"On it," Zhane replied.

"Neutron Cannons locking on," Trip replied. "Synchronizing targeting systems."

"You with us Trey?" Andros asked.

"Yeah," Trey replied. "Weapons are hot,"

"Fire!" Andros ordered.

Trey's particle cannon raked over the underside of the nearest Cog ship nearly cutting the vessel in half. Seconds later the attacks from the rest of the ships hammered into the craft causing it to detonate in a spray of scrap metal and radiant fire as the Ranger's ships held formation, punching through the flames into the battle.

Trakeena stood before an elaborate web spread between eight pylons which sat on the edge of a circular table. With her eyes closed Trakeena's fingers danced over the thin strands allowing her to sense the psychic emanations of her minions. There was a war being waged on the surface, no, it was more than that, she could sense vibrations from the Khepri, there was a war in space as well. She pulled her hand back, her eyes opening slowly.

"Furio,"

"Yes my lady?" Furio replied entering the chamber.

"Send word to Lord Zedd that we are taking the Khepri into battle, Treacheron will remain in control of our forces here on the ground."

"As you wish," Furio replied with a bow.

Trakeena smiled as see let her fingers dance over the web once more. At last a suitable opportunity had presented itself.

"The Machine Empire fleet is still stronger by four percent," Trey replied happy to have a complete tactical picture again. "That is of course assuming that the Dark Fortress is really gone."

"We can't waste time with speculation," Trip said as the group strafed over the top of another Cog ship heavily damaging the main bridge.

"Quadrafighters inbound," Zhane announced.

The group broke formation as nearly twenty Quadrafighters burst through their ranks firing with pulse cannons. Several shots were absorbed by Pyramidas' shields as the other craft evaded. The turrets on the Mega Ship opened fire destroying four of the fighters immediately before gunning down two more as the fighters broke off.

"It's fortunate they don't have time to circle around." Rocky said as the Mega Ship fell into formation again.

"They can't afford to," Andros replied. "With so many targets it's a much better tactic to continue moving in a single direction, circling around wastes too much time."

"We have another cruiser coming into range," Trip interrupted.

Two large plasma bolts slammed into the craft from the front, an attack fired from one of the Thirty-seventh's ships, sparks coruscated over the surface as the EM pulse from the plasma shorted out the shields.

"Their shields are down, fire!" Trey ordered.

Weapons fire erupted from the small group of ships punching through the side of the spinning outer hull straight out the other side. The ship instantly exploded in a small nova as the core ruptured and lost containment.

"Evade!" Trip shouted suddenly detecting an incoming attack.

Several capital shots raked across the side of Pyramidas burning through the thickened armor plating as the Mega Wing banked off narrowly avoiding a laser burst that merely glanced off the starboard shields. Pyramidas spun hard left as Trey tried to face the damaged side away from the attack.

"Trey you alright?" Andros asked

"Yeah," Trey replied. "Port side shields are down and there was heavy damage to the armor, but all systems are still functional."

"I have a fix on the attack," Trip said. "Bearing two eight two point seven."

"What is that?" Shawna asked in awe.

A large ship was approaching from the southern side of the moon. The main body was roughly half the length of The Machina, though its mass was less than a quarter of the Machine Empire's masterpiece. Its form was similar to a dragonfly, but with heavier wings protruding from the top and bottom of the vessel; large beetle-like coverings were opened forward protecting the huge solar sail wings. The tail was curled up over the body with several quad-barreled ion cannons housed within. The protective covering was drawn back leaving four claw-like towers curled in toward the cannons housing small batteries of laser weaponry in their tips.

"Searching the database," Circuit said.

"Do we engage it?" Zhane asked.

"It looks like it's moving off now." Trey replied.

"Got it," Circuit announced. "It's the Khepri, the flagship of the Vora Empire under Scorpius and his daughter Trakeena."

"So whose side is it on?" Andros asked as the group arced over another Cog ship, lightly peppering the shields.

"Given the insects forces of the Vora and the insect warriors at the Command Center I'd say it's a safe bet that they're on Zedd's side." Trip replied.

"That would nearly even out the advantage," Trey said.

"In whose favor?" Zhane asked.

"The advantage is just barely with the Machine Empire, about half a percent."

"Then break formation," Andros said. "Trip and Trey you take the Machine Empire, Zhane and I will engage Lord Zedd's forces. Keep after the small ships, and try to stay on the periphery of the battle."

There was a series of affirmations as the group split into two teams, the Mega Ship and Mega Wing banking hard to starboard to come around as capital weapon shots flew passed them into Machine Empire ships. As they headed into Lord Zedd's ranks Velocifighters raced over head pelting their shields with several shots as the fighters moved on to more serious targets.

"It's like we don't even matter to them," Zhane said.

"It's because they're smart," Trey replied. "If we don't choose a side they'll continue to regard us as a minor threat until both sides are diminished."

"If they aren't smart enough to realize what we're up to before then," Andros replied.

"I think their arrogance will prevent that," Trey replied confidently.

The first of the three Zords advanced toward Cyclopsis, a spinning drill hand broke free from the sludge sending gel splattering into the air as the weapon began to rotate quickly. The blades of Cyclopsis' gauntlets slid out with incredible speed as Goldar parried the attack, side stepping around the Zord and catching its arm above the drill head, flipping the Zord to the ground.

As the first Zord fell Goldar opened fire with his missiles putting two salvos into the winged Zord in front of him, the rockets streaking over the still falling body of the first Zord. The winged Zord brought its wings in attempting to shield its body, but failed to react fast enough as several missiles passed through the curling wings and hit the body, exploding in a plume of fire and goop.

Before Goldar could turn the third Zord had come up behind him and reached under Cyclopsis' arms bending its own arms up over the shoulders getting the War Zord in a firm grasp as claws on the hands sunk into the armor plating. Goldar smirked at the attempt before lunging forward with his own Zord lifting the one behind him from its feet. Taking hold of its right arm he flipped the sludge covered machine over his shoulder and slammed it down on top of the prone Zord, the claws ripping from the armor of Cyclopsis.

Suddenly an energy blast burst from the mouth of the winged Zord catching Goldar by surprise. The shimmering yellow rays tore a gash up the left shoulder plate of Cyclopsis doing little more than superficial damage. One of the Zords below rolled toward him slamming its mass into Cyclopsis' legs throwing the Zord off balance. At the same time the finned Zord raised its right arm and fired off two projectiles that detonated against Cyclopsis' chest knocking the War Zord over backward.

Cyclopsis fell to the ground while the three Zords regrouped. As Cyclopsis began to raise to its feet the three Zords fell into a firing line, their forms lighting up in a blaze of quantum energy as power was pulled from extra-dimensional space and concentrated into a finite space. Goldar attempted to move to the side, but the shot suddenly flew forward, the sphere of energy expanding, reaching a diameter of nearly fifteen stories as it plowed into the front of Cyclopsis, sending the War Zord flying back into the city. The Zord slammed through several structures causing the buildings to explode in a spray of rubble before destroying the face of a fifth structure as the Zord's momentum was spent.

Screens went red in Cyclopsis and the main monitor went dead as Goldar frantically struggled to get the damage control systems online. Fortunately the armor plating over the missile arrays had held, and while there was damage to the actuators in the arms and knees, the systems of the main body seemed largely undamaged. Armor was barely intact and the adaptive shielding the Zord possessed was damaged. The adaptive system was trying to assimilate the last attack and regenerate, but the power surge from the regeneration system was diverting most of the Zord's energy.

The main screen flickered back to life and Goldar could see the three Zords still standing in place, their forms blackened as the energy attack had incinerated the thick layer of gel that had remained on the Zords. He couldn't be certain, but it seemed that attack had drained a considerable amount of the enemy's power, perhaps even overloaded their systems. He struggled with the controls desperately trying to right Cyclopsis, he had to get back into the fight and make sure he kept those three Zords separated.

"How is he still functional!?" Divatox demanded as she fiddled with the controls trying to bypass the main breakers. "Porto we need power!"

"I'm working on it," Porto said as he routed Zord control for all three Zords through his console; his voice gruffer than usual.

"He seems to be heavily damaged," Rygog commented watching Cyclopsis lurch stiffly as the machine attempted to stand.

"He should be dead!" Divatox shouted. "Now get us back online!"

"I almost have it," Porto assured her completing the bypass. "Try it now."

Divatox smiled as the Zord's systems came online, weapons powered back up and the joint locks disengaged allowing her Zord to move freely again. The three Zords began to move forward, the blackened filth falling from the armor in a fine powder with each step revealing the Zord's human-animal hybrid forms.

Divatox's Zord was a large crimson machine with the form of an eagle with large silver wings. Porto was piloting a large blue shark-like Zord; the left hand was nothing more than a large drill while the right had a twin torpedo launcher mounted on the wrist. The third, piloted by Rygog, was similar to a lion, with large claws reaching over the hands from gauntlets on the wrist and a strange three pronged array mounted in the face.

"Adaption complete," a deep voice intoned inside Cyclopsis' cockpit.

Goldar bared his teeth in a sinister smile as he forced Cyclopsis to its feet. The armor plating had already begun regenerating, as had the actuators, though the Zord was still not anywhere near fully functional. Still he could fight and his first priority needed to be breaking up those three Zords; in his current state he was certain Cyclopsis would not survive another attack of that magnitude.

Cyclopsis' arms suddenly swung up as the hands launched forward, the chained limbs wrapping around the waist of the Eagle Zord. Goldar pulled forward and fired with his head mounted laser system, the intense heating cutting a gash into the armor around the neck as the Eagle Zord flew at him. Divatox opened fire as she raced toward the Zord, but the streaks of energy deflected harmlessly off the shielding into the air and at the ground.

With a quick kick Goldar thrust the Zord's foot into the chest of the Eagle Zord as the cables detached and rapidly recoiled into the arms. The chest plate on the Eagle Zord caved in slightly as it flew back passed the Shark Zord and Lion Zord skidding to a stop beyond them. Not wanting to waste a moment Goldar charged toward the Lion Zord as the blades slipped from his gauntlets.

"Porto, what happened?" Divatox demanded trying to stand.

"It appears this Zord has adaptive shielding, it's strong enough to deflect our basic attacks and dampen more powerful attacks, once the Zord's system has analyzed them." Porto replied.

"Then do something about it!" Divatox demanded.

"I can't do anything without refitting the Zords, we're going to have to coordinate our attacks and then try another shot with our Quantum Destroyer," Porto said.

Rygog barely managed to catch Cyclopsis' blades with his claws; the sharp edges sparking against each other and the weapons scraped back and forth. Finally Goldar pushed Rygog back before firing a burst from his laser system, burning a small hole in the chest. The Zord twitched slightly as a secondary power conduit shorted out sending an energy spike through the artificial muscle bundles.

Rygog quickly recovered and stepped in with a clawed uppercut which Goldar quickly blocked before the Lion Zord dropped to the ground and swept Cyclopsis' legs out, sending the Zord to the ground. Rygog was quick to capitalize, bringing his Zord to its feet, the three prongs of the face lit red, blue, and yellow before firing a beam that converged on the Zord's chest; the laser fire burning through the weakened chest armor into the missile salvo on the left launcher. With thunderous explosions a fireball rose from the Zord, followed by thick, black, smoke which obscured the target.

Rygog began to back away, but the white form of Cyclopsis suddenly burst through the black miasma, the right arm was drawn back, the blade pointed at the head of the Lion Zord. Rygog panicked and fired the laser array again, hoping to blow out the right launcher, but Cyclopsis had already adapted, the beams reflected of the Zord's shielding into the sky above Rygog.

With a roar Goldar thrust the blade through the Lion Zord's head; Rygog reached out catching the arm, the blade twisted and snapped off at the wrist as it was wretched through the cockpit, breaking Rygog's body in half, and out the back of the head. As the Zord fell at Cyclopsis' feet the War Zord launched a salvo of missiles from the right torso launcher toward the Eagle Zord. Divatox was quick to take to the air as the volley detonated behind her, ripping several buildings apart in the blast.

Porto moved forward and fired the fin from the top of his Zord, the triangular blade energized, the outer layers transitioning to a state of plasma as it arced through the air toward Cyclopsis. Goldar dove to the left, but the blade caught the right arm just above the elbow joint cutting it from the body with ease. The limb fell to the ground sending up a spray of blackened dust.

Goldar hit the ground and rolled to the side, coming to his feet he fired a laser burst cutting into the wrist launcher on the Shark Zord's right arm causing the weapon to detonate in a burst of flames that destroyed the lower right arm leaving only a stump below the elbow joint. Charging forward Goldar was quick to unsheathe the left gauntlet blade, cutting up into the Shark Zord's chest. The torso sparked as power cables and power relays were torn apart.

Porto clumsily staggered forward thrusting his drill into Cyclopsis' chest. The drill head sparked against the armor as it began to drill into the chest just above the missile launcher. Goldar head-butted the Shark Zord; knocking it back as he swung again, cutting down into the head from above. The blade scarcely missed the cockpit as a large section of the head fell away exposing the internal mechanisms.

Before Goldar could attack the cockpit Divatox landed on Cyclopsis, the large talons on the feet digging deep into the heavy armor of the shoulders. Goldar brought his blade up to attack, but Porto managed to block the strike with his drill, the rotating head tearing through the blade leaving a jagged stump just above the hand.

As Cyclopsis was lifted into the air Goldar fired a blast from his laser cannons burning into the internal structure of the Zord's head. Several components sparked and caught fire as the Zord collapsed on the ground.

"Porto, are you okay?" Divatox asked.

"The Zord is on fire and I can't escape," Porto replied, the transmission scratchy from the damaged systems. "I'm going to try to…" the transmission cut out.

Divatox cursed under her breath as she continued to ascend, still having Cyclopsis in tow. It was time to see if this Zord could survive a fall from a mile up.

Goldar struggled in the cockpit trying to shake himself loose; but it was no use. Both his blades were gone, one missile system was destroyed, the other was jammed thanks to that drill attack. The laser cannons could not get a lock on the Eagle Zord due to the near vertical angle of fire. Even if his Zord survived the fall it wouldn't be battle ready, and if he had to abandon his Zord he was going to make certain that his enemy didn't get to keep theirs. Goldar raised the left arm at an angle and fired the grappling claw; the thick chain reached it maximum length before wrapping around the wings and torso of the Eagle Zord binding it. With a sudden jerk Goldar tightened the chain letting it dig into and crush the Eagle Zord's wings. Metal twisted and screamed as the two Zords began to plummet to the ground below. Satisfied that his task was complete Goldar ejected, his wings unfurling as he glided slowly toward the ground.

"No!" Divatox shouted hitting the control panel knowing there was nothing left to do but eject.

Still if this coup failed then the best thing for her was for everyone to think she was dead. She could always rejoin the battle when things were more favorable for her side. With a wash of darkness she vanished into the safety of the Nether.

In the sky above Goldar watched as the two Zords tumbled to the ground. Finally, with a loud crash the Zords impacted onto the ground landing on their backs, the shockwave leveling several nearby buildings. The reactor core in the Eagle Zord ruptured as the Zord detonated in a fiery blast destroying several blocks beyond the impact site and sending a black mushroom cloud into the sky.

No one had ejected from the Zord, and no one could have survived that explosion. Goldar roared his defiance at the enemy's attempt to finish him as he quickly descended toward the ground, hungry to get back into the action.

The bulky form of the Ultra Zord tumbled to the ground as fearsome clawed hands grasped at the air where it had been mere moments ago.

"Was that who I think it was?" Adam asked.

"It seems Hephaestus has gotten a new Zord frame," Billy said.

"He's gotten faster too," Ashley commented.

"Stay sharp Tommy," Jason relayed. "We don't know what this thing is capable of."

"I'll stay back and try and give you support for the moment," Tommy replied.

"I'll right guys let's do it," Jason said as Ultra Zord rose to its feet, ready to do battle.

Hephaestus landed on the ground just beyond the Ultra Zord spinning quickly on its spider-like legs facing its adversary. The burning ethereal green eyes pierced through the souls of the Rangers as the creature glared at the cockpit. There was a moment of hesitation and Hephaestus seized it.

With a whirl multiple cylinders spun out from the body housing lasers, particle cannons, missile launchers and various other weapons. In a flash of iridescence the numerous weapon arrays fired. The Ultra Zord tried to dodge, but the suddenness of the attack had caught them off guard. Damage reports surged through the neural array as a combination of energy and projectile weapons tore holes in the armor of the Zord from top to bottom as the Ultra Zord lit up in a multi-spectrum display.

Tommy was quick to transform the Q-Rex into battle mode and unleash a hail storm of missiles from his own launcher. No sooner had the missiles left the launcher however than several pods slid open revealing ball jointed flak cannons. With a roar of gun fire the missiles were shot out of the sky in a spray of bright red tracers and flaming bursts.

"Tommy, get back!" Jason shouted as Hephaestus' weapons swiveled around and opened fire again.

The Q-Rex, being more agile, was able to dive out of the way, suffering only a few hits from the missiles that managed to lock on to his signature in time. With Hephaestus distracted the Ultra Zord charged in bringing its sword down on the monstrosity. Before the blade could make contact the menacing creature had turned its attention back toward the Rangers, a large dual bladed sword formed in the machine's hands. The blades were bent back, the weapon having a shape similar to a long bow. The middle of the shaft between the blades had a strange oval protruding from it, the narrow end pointed in the direction the blades curved. With lightning fast agility Hephaestus caught the Ranger's blade with his own as a deafening clang of metal echoed across the darkened landscape.

Ultra Zord tried to kick at the fiend, but Hephaestus caught the leg with his blade, hooking it under the limb, and flipped the massive Zord on its belly.

"He's too fast," Billy said as the Ultra Zord crashed into the ground.

"We need a way to slow him down," Jason said as the Ultra Zord rolled clear scarcely avoiding a strike to the back.

"Or, we need to speed up," Adam offered.

"If you can figure out how to do either of those I'd love to hear it," Billy said.

The Ultra Zord righted itself in time to block a third strike from Hephaestus only to have several energy shots rake up the left leg.

"Hang on, I might have an idea." Tommy said.

Hephaestus was bearing down on the Ultra Zord forcing most of the pressure onto the left leg. Suddenly twin cannons fired from the Q-Rex's shoulders, the spiraling beams of blue-green energy tore over the abdomen of Hephaestus and into the massive series of joints supporting the legs for the right side of the body, coating them in a heavy frost.

The goblin howled in frustration as it tried to move its legs; the joints were lethargic, the muscle bundles contracting under the cold temperatures.

"Of course," Billy said. "I wasn't even thinking about that,"

"Nice work Tommy," Jason said.

"I'd hurry," Tommy replied. "This weapon has a slow recharge rate and those joints are going to loosen up soon."

Hephaestus spun its upper body knocking the Ultra Zord off balance and causing it to stagger to its right. The goblin's torso continued to spin until it had nearly rotated a full circle and was facing Tommy. With a flash in his eyes Hephaestus drew his hand back over the oval on his weapon, his fingers curling around an invisible point as the oval lit a bright blue. As his fingers released a long shaft of energy burst from the protrusion on the weapon spearing through the right shoulder cannon on the Q-Rex exploding out the back in a star burst of blue flame. The Q-Rex dropped to the ground as Tommy attempted to stabilize the Zord.

"Tommy, are you alright?" Jason asked as the Ultra Zord stepped in.

"Yeah," Tommy replied. "Was just caught me off guard."

Ultra Zord slashed its sword across the body of the goblin, the end carving into the armor of the right arm and the chest knocking the weapon down before he could fire again. Hephaestus turned to face the Rangers once again as Ashley aimed the shoulder cannons at the abomination's chest and fired. There was a shriek as the main display went white. Hephaestus flew back, attempting to jump from the line of attack, but finding half his legs still moved too slowly to be effective. The machine landed as several actuators in the main joint assembly snapped under the stress, their structure already weakened by the temperature shift.

Smoke wafted from the chest as armor was vaporized; chunks of frost were still falling from the leg joints, jarred loose from the sudden exertion.

"I think we managed to slow it down a little," Billy said looking at the tactical data. "But we still haven't cracked the outer hull."

"What's our status?" Jason asked.

"Fairly uniform armor damage on the front side with the exception of the left leg, we do have minor internal damage." Billy replied.

"And our power levels?" Jason asked.

"Holding at eighty-two percent," Billy replied.

"Guys we've got something going on out here," Tommy said.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"I've got it," Billy replied. "Incoming targets from above."

Hephaestus paused for a moment as the regenerative systems began repairing the damage to the leg joints. His systems detected more incoming targets descending rapidly from the sky about a quarter of a kilometer from his present location. Whatever was left of Finster's mind would not allow these newcomers to interfere with his fun. Issuing a command signal he set the Reapers into motion to intercept the targets.

"Why isn't he attacking?" Ashley asked.

"He's repairing himself," Billy said looking over the data.

"Max Blizzard recharged," Tommy said.

"We're going to try and spin him around," Jason said. "See if you can lock up his left side this time."

"Right," Tommy agreed.

With a speed that seemed almost out of place for such a bulky machine the Ultra Zord charged forward. Hephaestus was quick to open fire with its weapon batteries, drenching the Ultra Zord in a torrent of weapon's fire. The Zord brought its huge sword in front of its body offering some degree of protection.

Moving passed the mechanical beast on the right the Ultra Zord swung its sword in an attempt to decapitate Hephaestus. The war machine side stepped, though with less grace than normal, the edge of the Ultra Zord's blade catching the end of the ear cutting it from the body, the sheared face glowing red hot. Hephaestus turned to strike at the Ultra Zord's back.

Tommy fired a shot from his remaining cannon locking up the left leg joints as the Ultra Zord barely managed to catch the war machine's strike with its blade. Hephaestus roared in fury as the Ultra Zord brought its cannons down to fire again.

Hephaestus was not about to allow this to happen again. With a quick spin of its blades Hephaestus cut the ends from the cannons shorting them out before spinning around and letting loose another bolt of energy, putting this one through the left cannon.

"That's it for my Max Blizzard, so make this count," Tommy said.

Ultra Zord dropped its weapon and slammed both hands, open palmed, into the chest of the machine knocking it back. The legs cracked and twisted as Hephaestus crashed into the ground. Ultra Zord quickly retrieved its sword and leapt at the prone machine slicing through the frozen joint, carving away the four legs on the left side before drawing the blade back and plunging the weapon into the underside of the behemoth. There was an explosion as burning gas vented form the wound in the abdomen. The other set of legs convulsed and then stopped moving.

In the distance there was a loud boom accompanied by a large cloud of dust that rose above the mountainous terrain beyond the city. Whatever was coming, it had reached the planet surface. Ultra Zord turned to face the horizon, the scanners unable to provide information on the new threat.

"Let's get moving," Jason said. "I'm sure whatever is out there will finish off Hephaestus, and I'd rather not find out what it is."

"Agreed," Billy said. "I can't tell what's coming, but from the seismic sensors there are a lot of them, and they are big."

"Tommy, we're moving out," Jason relayed.

"Behind you!" Tommy warned.

The Ultra Zord turned as Hephaestus' body convulsed again. The four legs on the right side shifted around with two moving to the left side, the former joint node retracted into the body. With a quick push Hephaestus had gotten back on its feet and was charging the Ultra Zord. Before Jason and the others could react the monster had cleaved one of its blades deep into the right shoulder.

"Shoulder actuators are failing." Billy reported.

"Chest cannon!" Jason ordered.

The triple barreled weapon on the chest lit bright yellow as three heavy plasma bursts burned into Hephaestus' chest reducing a fair portion of the machine's armor to heavy slag that ran down the stomach, and fusing the body into a forward facing position as it solidified over the waist joint.

"Multiple targets are approaching from the city." Ashley said.

"I see them," Jason replied.

The Reapers began moving out of the city. Slightly smaller than a Mega Zord, each was hunched over carrying a large cannon. Cables ran around to a generator pack attached to the back and giant hydraulic pistons helped support the weapon on a ring that ran around the machine's waist. The armor was a flat black with hard plates over the body in a pattern like musculature; a slightly lighter gray armor could be seen under the heavy plates. The head was wide, almost out of proportion, and had been fashioned into a rough upper skull without a lower jaw. Twin slits were lit a dark crimson where the eyes should be.

The machines suddenly came to a halt and set their feet wide. Their weapons came up, locking onto the Ultra Zord. Hephaestus's weapon vanished as it lunged forward wrapping its arms around the Zord as the Reapers opened fire. Rings of purple energy exploded out from the weapons as solid beams hit the back of the Ultra Zord boring through the substantial armor plating. The Ultra Zord lost its grip on its sword as actuators twitched under the high stress of the attack. The gigantic weapon fell flat on the ground.

"They're getting through," Billy said.

"We need to break his grip," Jason said.

The Ultra Zord slammed its head forward into Hephaestus' cracking the cranial plate as well as denting its own helmet. Hephaestus' grip loosened just enough to allow the Ultra Zord to shake the creature off. As the hold was broken the Reapers ceased fire, as if they were taking orders directly from Hephaestus.

Tommy opened fire on one of the Reapers with his missile launcher, sending a spray of high-yield warheads into the chest of the machine. Fire engulfed the unit ripping hardened armor chunks from the chest. When the flames had subsided Tommy could see his attack had nearly torn a hole into the chest.

"Hey guys, these things aren't very durable, I'm going to try and keep them off you." Tommy said.

"Alright, we'll try and finish off Hephaestus." Jason replied. "How's the damage Billy?"

"We'll be alright as long as we don't turn our back to him," Billy replied.

The Ultra Zord stooped down to grab its weapon as Hephaestus moved in again, its locomotion clearly slowed by the lost legs. Still, it was faster than the Ultra Zord and even as the Ultra Zord managed to take hold of its blade Hephaestus manifested its own weapon and cleaved a deep gash into the left torso.

"He cut one of the power conduits, power levels dropping," Adam said.

"Rerouting power," Billy responded.

Tommy opened fire on another of the Reapers as he charged into their lines. The missiles raced forward, plastering the head of the sentinel in clouds of fire, obliterating it. As the drone collapsed to the ground he reached the Reaper he had previously targeted and put his fist through the torso, his armored hand easily smashing aside the broken plate of the machine's chest. The Reaper bowed over the Q-Rex's arm, its power flow disrupted. The Q-Rex was quick to move on as the other Reapers brought their weapons around attempting to fire on Tommy, but his Zord proved too fast, managing to stay ahead of their targeters.

Ultra Zord slashed at Hephaestus as the foul contraption blocked again, sparks showering the ground as the two weapons ground against one another. Ultra Zord managed to push Hephaestus back before moving in again to strike. Once again, however, the behemoth managed to block, despite the reduction to his mobility. Ultra Zord suddenly shifted its weight pushing Hephaestus to the right before bringing up the left leg and delivering a roundhouse to the side of the monster. Hephaestus tumbled to the ground off to the Ultra Zord's right but was quick to scurry to its feet as the War Zord turned to face it.

"We've got company from the east," Billy said.

"Show me," Jason replied.

The translucent visual washed over their perceptions allowing only a vague image of Hephaestus to remain behind the display. On the hill to their right several objects were rising over the ridge. Their bodies were spherical; the lower third had unfolded into a series of six legs. On the main body weapons had unfolded across the entire surface providing a mobile platform with a good balance of energy and projectile weaponry. The head was a tower that had risen from the upper body, part of the sphere still rested on top, the over hang offering an added degree of protection.

Before Billy could begin to analyze their abilities the machines had commenced firing sending a firestorm raining down on the two titans. Both the Ultra Zord and Hephaestus were struck to the ground by the heavy volley of weapon fire. The attack was devastating, super heating the armor before blasting it apart with explosive warheads. The Ranger's visions went red as the feedback system showed heavy damage to the armor at multiple points.

"We can't survive another attack like that!" Billy reported.

"Tommy, get out of here," Jason ordered as the neural link flickered, flashing his mind between the Zord's sensory input and his own. "Let Zedd's machines fight these things."

"What about you?" Tommy asked.

"One way or the other the Zord isn't going to make it; we'll try and take down Hephaestus." Jason replied.

"The armor on the chest is the weakest," Billy replied.

"We only have a few seconds before the next volley of fire." Adam relayed.

The Reapers had already disengaged from the Q-Rex and were spreading out to combat the new threat. Tommy took advantage of the distraction and reverted to his dinosaur mode before charging toward the cityscape.

Billy diverted additional power to the Ultra Zord's legs causing the massive machine to spring forward suddenly, its sword pointed toward the heavily damaged armor on the chest of the war machine as the war machines on the hill lit up in a flash as their second barrage was discharged. Hephaestus lashed out with his own weapon as the two giants speared each other through the chest. Hephaestus lurched as the Ultra Sword pierced through the armored coffin destroying what little remained of Finster, the Ultra Zord's body crumpling around the monster's weapon as internal systems were ripped in half.

The neural interface faded as the main power was lost; the cockpit was bathed red in the glow of emergency lighting. Klaxons began to sound and lights flashed warning of another incoming attack.

"Eject!" Jason shouted.

The Rangers activated their ejection systems as the two titans were consumed in the flames of the second strike, their slouched forms still clutching their weapons, locked in their death poses.

Lokar looked around the empty streets to the slave district. The ground was lined with corpses, the dismembered remains of the strange creatures that had appeared in the capital nearly an hour ago mixed with the dismembered limbs of Quantrons and human slaves. Fire pits dotted the landscape where Putties had fallen, their hard stone bodies dissected as if they were no more resilient than paper. Though he wished all these strange beasts had been destroyed, he knew many had simply escaped into the surrounding city. Lokar ripped a head from one of the corpses looking into the lifeless eyes. Tentacles hung from the jaw-line with mandibles like shears projecting from the back of the head before the long dog-like mouth. The flesh was thick and hard, some form of armored scales, what were these abominations? Had someone created these beasts?

"Lokar this is Astronema, do you copy?" her voice came over the com interrupting his thoughts.

"I can hear you," Lokar responded.

"There is a large army moving in from the west, we saw it on our way down."

"Things are far more dire than that," Lokar replied. "Someone has called forth the undead, it is only a matter of time before this whole area is consumed with the fallen corpses of those we slaughtered."

"I'm in the palace now mobilizing as many Quantrons as we can spare, can you gather any forces?"

"I will bring forth an army of Putties and move to attack the army to the west, but see to it that the gate is guarded, I have a feeling it will become the focal point of this attack."

"Understood," Astronema replied as the com went dead.

Lokar dropped the head letting it hit the ground with a sickening thud. He looked around for a moment as an unnatural wind began to stir; his eyes began to glow with a deep malevolence. Then with a loud scream the earth shook as tens of thousands of Putties began to rise from the ground, their white granite bodies caked with black soot. Folding his hands into his robe he began to walk toward the west, the Putties following with him as the echo of their footfalls rang in the desolate crater.

Goldar touched down at the foot of the bridge leading to the main gate. Astronema and Ecliptor were marching toward him from the Palace accompanied by thousands of Quantrons with more still pouring from the main gate.

"Astronema," Goldar said with a shallow bow.

"It appears you were able to stop the insurgents here," she said looking around at the flaming wreckage that was scattered over the area, the body of Cyclopsis still lay intact in a now open area several blocks away.

"Yes," he growled, "But it was not easy, they were well prepared."

"It is far worse than you know," Ecliptor said coldly.

"What do you mean?" Goldar asked.

"The Dark Fortress was lost because Vexacus betrayed us, he destroyed the reactor," Astronema replied. "Though he paid for his betrayal,"

"Good," Goldar snarled.

"We have a new problem however," Astronema began. "A large army is moving in from the west, at least two hundred thousand strong, and there could be more on the way."

"Let them come," Goldar said; the bloodlust in his eyes growing.

"They will," Astronema replied. "We have to fortify the gate."

Goldar nodded in response.

"My Empress, I am going to scout ahead and see if I can discern the nature of our enemy," Ecliptor replied.

"Right," Astronema replied with a nod.

The Mega Wing unleashed a salvo of missiles into the side of a medium class warship as it raced by. Andros followed closely behind peppering the ship with laser fire as plumes of flame erupted from the side of the ship as the payload from Zhane's attack was spent.

"They don't seem too interested in us," Rocky commented.

"I think they're all focused on The Machina right now," Andros replied grimly. "And I hate to say it, but we're not giving them much of a reason to concern themselves with us. The Mega Wing and the Astro Mega Ship are technically light strike cruisers, and most of the smaller craft have already been destroyed."

"So what do we do?" Rocky asked.

"We just make sure these two fleets stay balanced," Andros replied as the forward screen erupted in a wash of light as a warship was speared through with a battery of laser fire; exploding in a sphere of radiant fire. "As best we can,"

Deviot stood on the bridge staring out into the beautiful carnage before him. The darkness of space was alive with the fiery death cries of hundreds of ships as countless causalities mounted on both sides.

"Commander," one of the Quantrons reported. "Fleet strength has been reduced to seventy-three percent."

"And what of the Machine Empire?" he asked.

"Fleet is holding at seventy-six," the Quantron replied.

"Identify their strongest points," Deviot ordered.

"The Machina and the Megalodon," the Quantron replied. "These ships comprise twelve percent and three percent of remaining fleet strength."

"We need to break The Machina while we still have the strength to do so," Deviot said. "Signal the fleet to prepare an opening for us and contact Trakeena aboard the Khepri, between her vessel and the Black Nebula we should be able to cripple The Machina."

"Transmission sent," the Quantron replied.

Several Quantrons marched down a corridor heading for the main hall to join up with the remaining Quantron forces. As they passed Ryan emerged from the shadows and began to quietly make his way into the palace. He had tried to push further in through the shadows, but had found a powerful barrier barring his way. Diabolico had warned him that there were those who served Lord Zedd with powerful arcanum that could outstrip his own powers. He tried not to focus on the setback, he had made it into the palace and that was sufficient.

As planned the others had drawn nearly all troops out of the palace, now it was up to him to get passed Lord Zedd and secure some of the powerful relics he had stored away, but first he had to locate them.

Coming around a corner he suddenly found himself confronted by a pair of Quantrons, obviously part of the guard that had not been called out. Before either machine could react he drew a black dagger from his belt, similar in form to the Dragon Dagger, yet it lacked the icon on the hilt, and decapitated one before spinning passed it and slamming his weapon up under the jaw of the other. The two machines fell forward, the shadow swallowing them up before they hit the ground.

"Impressive," a female voice replied from the darkness.

Ryan spun around looking for the source, but he could see nothing.

"So you must be the mysterious Green Ranger," the voice called out again. "So who are you? Joshua Raine? Or someone else?" the voice asked fading seductively on the last syllable.

Ryan hurled a bolt of black light in the direction the voice came from. The energy struck the wall exploding in a burst of purple before fading into the darkness of the corridor.

"Well I guess if you won't answer I'll just have to pull your helmet off and see for myself," the voice said.

Ryan suddenly felt pressure on the sides of his head. With a quick spin he lashed out in a wide arc around him. His arm made contact with something behind him and he heard a soft cry as that object was knocked into the wall.

"So you're just invisible," Ryan mused lunging at the section of wall with a punch.

Unfortunately the individual had already moved and his fist struck the wall with a dulled thud. Ryan quickly spun around trying to peer through the darkness for anything that appeared out of place.

Without warning a point of red light raced at him out of the darkness. He failed to move in time, but was fortunate to have the attack strike his shield, deflecting harmlessly into a wall. Ryan sunk into the shadow, an abundant resource in the dank confine of Zedd's Palace.

"Well that certainly takes all the fun out of it," the voice called out.

Suddenly Ryan emerged from behind the voice, stepping out through the darkness and knocked the person to the ground with a hard roundhouse kick. There was a crackle of red energy that coursed over the dark form as the cloaking system failed for a single moment.

Ryan was quick to fling another bolt of energy at the wall, but the phantom had already moved.

"So, you're some kind of Ranger as well," Ryan replied submerging once more into the darkness.

There was no reply. She must have gotten wise to his tactics. He needed to end this quickly and carry out his mission.

"It's obvious that our powers allow us to deceive the senses and that we're better at being assassins," Ryan said remaining concealed in the shadows, again there was no response. "Of course we both have better things to be doing right now, so how about we drop the pretense," Ryan emerged from the darkness, his back to the wall. "And just fight,"

"You know you can't really trust me," the girl said, seemingly materializing from out of a haze.

"That goes both ways," Ryan replied.

Without another word the two Rangers leapt at one another. Ryan tried to attack with his dagger, but Aisha was quick to catch his arm and wrenched the weapon free from his hand kicking it to the corner as it hit the ground.

"Let's see how you do now in a fair fight," Aisha said throwing a strong side kick into Ryan chest sending him flying back.

Ryan hit the ground and quickly jumped to his feet as Aisha came in again with a hard punch to his face. He managed to lean back, narrowly avoiding the strike before coming back with an uppercut, sending Aisha to the ground. Before she could rise Ryan threw another bolt of dark energy at her. Aisha was quick to extend her hand, the bolt of energy exploding against her palm as if it had just struck a wall.

Ryan was distracted by the feat for a moment and Aisha was quick to sweep his legs out from under him. As Ryan hit the ground Aisha leapt on top of him and threw a hard hook across his face. Ryan's head jerked as the force of the impact caused his helmet to crack slightly. Aisha pulled back to strike again, but Ryan suddenly sunk into the ground and vanished.

Before Aisha could react Ryan flew back at her from the side and plunged his dagger into the control box on her chest. There was a spark of light as something shorted out, but her morphed form remained. Aisha was quick to knee Ryan in the stomach before delivering a roundhouse to his bowed head, sending him into the wall. Walking toward him she pulled the dagger from her chest plate and sheathed it in her belt.

"You thought maybe that was my morpher?" she mused, standing over him.

"No," Ryan replied as he sunk into the floor. "I was hoping it controlled your invisibility."

Aisha cursed under her breath as a hard kick landed against her head from out of the darkness flinging her to the left before another kick was launched from the floor knocking her body to the right. In a spin she collapsed on the floor, her visor cracking against the stone as a fist slammed into the back of her head.

Aisha tried to pull out the dagger, but found it was missing. Suddenly a hard knee was smashed into her back sending pain through her whole body.

"It's amazing how often people underestimate shadows," Ryan said rotating the dagger in his hands. "Unfortunately, it seems you learned this lesson too late."

Ryan suddenly leapt to his feet spinning around as he caught movement in the reflection of Aisha's black gloss helmet. As he turned he found himself face to face with Treacheron. The insect swung out with its sword attempting to decapitate Ryan. Ryan was quick to duck under the attack and countered, stabbing his dagger into the center of Treacheron's chest. The insect warrior staggered forward, claws leapt from the chest catching Ryan completely by surprise; the scythed hands piercing into his sides.

Blood sprayed from Ryan's mouth and dribbled down his chin as he fell on one knee. In that instant Aisha had stepped up behind him and took hold of his head, with a quick jerk she heard the spine snap. As she let go the body fell to the ground. She looked over at Treacheron, but the insect was already dead, his limbs curling around the body as he began to dissolve.

Ryan's body demorphed in a flash of dark green light. Aisha knelt by his corpse and pulled the scythed limbs from his side as she rolled the body over. She reached down to where the Morpher was, still attached to his belt. With a quick tug she ripped it free and placed it in a pouch on her belt. This would certainly make an excellent trophy for her master.

"This way!" Diabolico motioned directing his kin.

"But that is not the way to the main gate." Olympius protested.

"Let our minions deal with the gate," Diabolico snarled. "This way lies great power."

"I feel it too," Vypra replied. "But it appears to be moving toward us,"

"If someone has this power I think we can compel them to relinquish it," Loki growled tightening his grip on his giant battle axe.

"Very well," Olympius said. "But I feel this is a bad idea."

Master Vile and Rito stood on the roof of one of the city's buildings watching the demons' armies marching through the streets below. Many Kimera were already joining up with the new ground forces after having dispatched most of the Putties and Quantrons within the city, though there was no doubt that Zedd would have plenty more on the way.

The undead had still not risen to the surface, but it was only a matter of time now, who knew how deep they had been buried under this blight of a city.

"Father, look," Rito said pointing toward their advanced forces.

Master Vile looked down to see the demons moving off toward the south while their forces continued to march on toward the palace gates.

"They must sense it," Vile mused.

"What?" Rito asked.

"Can you not feel it Rito?" Vile paused for a moment as if experiencing the sensation again. "The Zeo Crystal."

"It is not in the palace?" Rito asked astonished.

"No," Vile replied. "It appears someone has taken it from Lord Zedd."

"Then we can not allow those fiends to possess it," Rito said as he began to move forward.

"Calm yourself Rito," Vile said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You shall lead our armies to the gates of Zedd's Palace. I will follow our allies and see to it that the Zeo Crystal ends up where it belongs."

"What if they are able to defeat the one who carries it and take it for themselves?" Rito asked.

"Then I will kill whichever of them remains," Vile replied coldly.

"What are they up to?" Trip asked watching several heavy cruisers pushing forward through the Machine Empire lines.

"Looks like they're opening up a corridor for attack," Trey replied as a discharge from his particle array tore a deep gash in the side of a Machine Empire Cog ship setting hundreds of Cogs adrift in space.

"You think they're moving to attack The Machina?" Trip asked.

"It would be prudent at this point," Trey replied. "If their fleet strength becomes too diminished they will be unable to stop it. I will notify Andros and Zhane of this development."

The Black Nebula pushed ahead, its engines ablaze as it accelerated through the void. Below it, in its wake, the Khepri glided silently. Deviot watched from the front port as his strike group cut a swathe through the Machine Empire ships. The heavy cruiser's hulls were already pocked with pits of fire, the shields long since failed. For these ships there would be no return.

Their attack was a simple two pronged strike; the Black Nebula would strike from above while the Khepri would strike below targeting the anti-gravity drives and engines while the Black Nebula attacked the bridge. Both were prepared to sacrifice their ships to accomplish this task, though Deviot found Trakeena's willingness to engage in such a plan a little unnerving.

While Deviot might sacrifice the Black Nebula he had no intention of sacrificing his own life. A Velocifighter was already prepped for launch in the upper hanger. All he had to do was make it to hyperspace before the Black Nebula was destroyed, until then the massive war ship would shield him. Though he hoped it would not come to that. It was possible that the concentrated firepower of the Black Nebula could destroy the bridge of The Machina if only they could make it through the forward shields and survive the heavy bombardment that was certain to erupt from the ship's deck once they had. If there were another way he would have preferred to send other ships to make the run, but nothing else in the fleet was a match for the horrendous firepower of The Machina.

Coming in at full speed would hopefully be enough to smash through the defensive shields and keep the heavier capital weapons from locking on. It was a risk, but even in his desire to preserve his own life Deviot knew that if The Machina was not stopped they would all be wiped out. The Machine Empire was not known for taking prisoners, and what happened to those they did take was a fate worse than death.

The forward display went white for a moment as the lead cruiser's reactor exploded sending fragments of the hull and other internal components too sturdy to be vaporized out in every direction.

"The Malevolence has been destroyed," The Quantron relayed. "Heavy damage reported on the Tempest and the Warpath, the Omen and the Harbinger are advancing to the front to provide relief for the other two cruisers."

"Very good," Deviot replied. "Continue to accelerate, divert all available power to the engines and the forward shields."

"As you command," another Quantron responded.

Josh leapt into the air barely avoiding the shriveled hand that burst through the ground attempting to take hold of his foot.

"They're here," Josh said pulling the ornate Katana from its scabbard and falling into a fighting stance.

"Don't waste time with these things," Zordon cautioned. "You must get to the palace."

Zordon extended his staff sending a trail of fire blazing down the street. Limbs lit like torches showing where the undead were beginning their emergence.

"At least it took longer than you expected," Kimberly said weaving around the burning limbs that continued to rise from the ground.

"I think the rooftops might now be more convenient," Zordon said as a burning hand attempted to grab his foot.

"It will expose us more," Josh replied jumping over another group of flailing limbs. "But I think you may be right."

The three Rangers leapt from the street to the top of the nearest building.

"What is that?!" Kimberly asked pointing toward the west.

Josh turned to look. "Those would be the armies of the demons we fought awhile back."

"I thought we killed them." Kimberly said.

"All but one," Josh replied. "Someone must have found a way to resurrect them."

"We must hurry," Zordon said. "I sense danger approaching."

Josh nodded as the three of them began to leap from building to building drawing closer to the palace now looming above the black horizon. A burning glow from the east bathed the palace in a sinister fiery light. Josh could only hope the others were okay, he knew they would all accomplish their roles, but he knew none of their fates.

Trey and Trip unleashed another barrage of attacks over the surface of a Cog ship, the bridge exploded in a red plume of light. It was unfortunate that such ships had a vast network of control nodes and such damage only reduced the effectiveness of the network.

Most of the Machine Empire fleet had now reached orbit over the planet and had begun deploying landing craft. Only The Machina along with a modest escort had remained in high orbit over the moon. With The Machina's shear power and long range striking ability it made sense to remain on the outskirts of the battle where its firepower could be brought to bare against multiple targets.

Trey released a salvo of missiles into the underbelly of another Cog ship. The thousands of warheads quickly tore the vessel apart scattering debris into space. Trey looked down at his display, only two salvos left.

Overhead the Mega Wing and Astro Mega Ship flew by, heading in the opposite direction. The laser fire from the Mega Ship's turrets ripped through a cluster of fighters engaged in a dogfight, indiscriminately destroying several of them.

Suddenly Pyramidas shook as a stray shot from a plasma battery struck the left side of the ship. The internal screens went red showing heavy damage to the main power relay. Power to the engines dropped below twenty percent.

"I'm hit," Trey reported. "I don't think I can recover from this one,"

"Eject," Andros said. "We'll pick you up."

"No," Trey said. "I'm going to try and land Pyramidas; it could still be of some use before this is over."

"Alright," Andros conceded. "But if it becomes a problem,"

"I promise I'll get out." Trey replied. "Good luck to the rest of you."

Trey locked onto the vast number of fighters swarming through space and fired off his remaining salvos. Tens of thousands of missiles flew from Pyramidas like angry hornets from a nest, riddling the void with radiant starbursts as the giant craft fell toward the Earth. Wisps of flame streaked over the surface as the War Zord began reentry.

"Good luck to you," Andros said pausing for a moment. "Trip, form up on me we still have a job to do."

"I'm coming around," Trip replied.

Plasma fire burst from the rifles of the Quantrons as limbs were torn from the hordes of the undead that were advancing upon the palace's bridge. Goldar lead a charge of Quantrons with Battle Blades into another group of undead advancing from the North, their blades cutting through the thick mass of rotted limbs as the undead continued to press against one another advancing without thought and more rose up through the ground.

Goldar swung his sword in a wide arc tearing through several of the horrors as the smell of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. If not for his blood lust he would have gagged on the rancid fumes that emanated from the slain corpses.

Behind him Astronema walked forward into the tide of death, the tendrils on her helmet whipping out furiously, punching through the necks of the undead and rending their heads from their torsos returning their bodies once again to a state of inanimate decay.

Quantrons continued to advance crushing the lifeless bodies of the fallen in to putrid puddle of oozing gore beneath their footfalls. Yet even as they advanced cutting down hundreds of the creatures more and more undead moved forward and as many Quantrons were pulled beneath the waves of desiccated flesh and torn asunder by the supernatural strength imbued to the walking corpses.

Goldar looked back to see the lines being pushed back as the flood of undead grew thicker.

"Fall back to the bridge!" Goldar ordered. "Force a bottle neck, blades to the front, rifles to the rear, form firing lines!"

Goldar slashed into the wall of undead as the Quantron began to fall back onto the bridge, many had already taken up firing position and were attempting to thin the masses that were circling the crater moving toward the choke point. Even as Goldar cut through the mass of necrotized flesh more pushed through as the destroyed bodies were trampled beneath the constant deluge.

Suddenly the space before him grew dark as if a black mist had spontaneously formed. Before he knew what was happening a bone white sword had burst from the mist striking at his neck. He was quick to knock it aside as a warrior dressed in bone white armor stepped from the darkness trailing a midnight blue cape. The undead began to close around him cutting Goldar off.

The sinew around his boney face curled into a sadistic smile. "Hello Goldar, so nice to see you again."

Goldar cut deep into the hedge of undead warriors that separated the two, his mind searching for where he knew this undead monster from.

"You really don't remember me," Rito said seeing the lack of recognition.

Goldar looked into those piercing red eyes as he dispatched several more of the undead, oblivious to the legions that had surrounded him and were slowly pressing in. Suddenly a spark of recognition lit in his eyes and his countenance darkened.

"Rito," he snarled, that single word dripping with venom.

"It's unfortunate you could not be persuaded to join us and fight against Lord Zedd," Rito said. "You were always a strong warrior."

"Monster!" Goldar roared, cutting through the undead minions with new fervor.

Undead began to fall to the left and right as Goldar hacked and slashed through the wall in a blind rage driving the army of corpses back. Rito smiled at his effort, but knew it was futile, flesh and blood had its limit and even Goldar could not overcome it.

"Goldar what's going on?" Astronema asked over the com, but no reply came except fierce snarls as Goldar continued to exert all his effort to reach Rito.

Astronema stood on one of the raised columns that lined the length of the bridge looking out over her Quantrons and the mass of undead warriors that pressed into the bottleneck at the bridge's head. She could see Goldar hacking through the warriors; it was both astounding and frightening to see him carve through the mass of corpses taking nearly a dozen of the foul creatures with every swipe of his blade. Then she saw the strange undead warrior stand amid the torrent of the undead. Bone white armor gleamed in the reflective light of the plasma bursts. She was uncertain who this creature was, but if he was anything like other Summoners they had faced it was possible this legion of undead would perish if he was destroyed, or at the very least be weakened if this was the work of multiple Summoners.

With a cry Astronema leapt from the pillar and into the fray landing behind Goldar. She ducked under a strike from him before Goldar realized she had joined him. Without wasting her breath in a rebuke she lashed out with her tendrils cutting down ten of the warriors before swinging her spear out in an arc cutting the heads from countless corpses. Slowly they began to push the undead back, closing the distance between themselves and the undead warrior.

Rito smirked and stepped in, the corpses parting before him. Rito's blade met Goldar's as the Fear Cat glared into the eyes of his former compatriot. Their weapons pressed against each other, grinding back and forth as the two tried to press the other back.

Astronema could immediately see the wisdom in the warrior's stratagem as the undead began to close in around them now that Goldar's fierce wrath was diverted. Astronema was quick to thrust her spear at Rito's chest, but Rito merely stepped back, pressing against the wall of his minions as Goldar stepped forward keeping his blade locked with Rito's.

"Snap out of it!" Astronema yelled as she cut down another group of undead.

Goldar seemed not to hear her as he pressed harder against Rito's blade, Rito's body slowly sinking back into his advancing hordes.

"Focus!" Astronema shouted backhanding Goldar in the head.

Goldar snarled as his trance was broken. "What?!" Goldar roared suddenly impatient with her.

"Duck!" She ordered.

Goldar was quick to drop to the ground as Astronema twirled her double tipped spear around her creating a circle around the two warriors as the undead were cut back.

Rito stepped in bringing his weapon down on Goldar, but Astronema's tendrils leapt up spearing into his arm slowing his attack and allowing Goldar to roll clear. The next series of blows glanced off his armor cutting narrow gashes in the bone white material.

Goldar rose to his feet and sliced through several feet of the undead wall.

"Who is that?" Astronema asked whipping her tendrils around spearing several more undead as Rito collected himself.

"Rito, he's Rita's brother," Goldar said charging toward him.

Astronema leapt into the air and spun sideways as her tendrils lashed out, picking off the undead that tried to advance beyond the edge of the newly established circle. As she landed she cut through several more of the abominations; bifurcating their bodies in a spray of thick dark blood as rancid liquefying viscera poured from their torsos in clumps. Goldar swung at Rito, their weapons glancing off one another.

"Will these things die if he does?" she asked thrusting her spear at Rito who side stepped as he caught another strike from Goldar with his own blade.

"I'm not sure," Goldar spat as he struck again at Rito only to have his blow parried.

Astronema lashed out with another tendril, this time however Rito caught the strand above the blade and pulled Astronema forward smashing her into Goldar. As Goldar staggered off balance Rito drew back his sword and ran the blade through Goldar's left shoulder plate, piercing the flesh beneath. There was a slight grimace from the Fear Cat as he thrust his own blade into Rito's breast plate punching through the armor and sinking deep into his chest.

Goldar roared with a sense of satisfaction as he kicked Rito in the stomach and pulled his blade back. The undead warrior staggered back for a moment before snapping straight up with a cruel smile on his face.

"That might have been a fatal blow, if I were still alive!" Rito said charging in.

Goldar met Rito's blade as Astronema cut down several more undead trying desperately to keep the circle from closing in and swallowing them. Goldar brought his knee up slamming it into Rito's chest and reaching out to grasp his gorget throwing him to the ground. Goldar stepped over his prone body and slashed through a patch of undead sending a spray of pungent viscera into the air. As the diseased fluid rained down on them, Goldar's sword ignited in a fiery blaze, with a furious slash he cut into a clump of corpses, fire immediately consuming the bodies in a horrendous inferno. The blaze quickly spread to the tightly packed corpses lighting the landscape in an intense glow.

"No!" Rito shouted coming to his feet.

"It's over Rito," Goldar snarled landing a left hook across the necromancers jaw.

Rito stumbled back grasping his weapon with both hands. Astronema watched as the fiery bodies continued to press in.

"They're not stopping," she said with a tone of unease.

"Just kill some, create a wall of fire," Goldar said focusing on Rito.

Astronema lashed out with tendrils and spear, cutting several corpses in half while others exploded in clouds of fire and burning embers as the pestilent fumes escaped from the bloated bodies and ignited. As their remains fell to the ground she could see that it continued to burn. Beyond the flaming masses she could see others that had backed away, if she could kill those around her they would be safe for a short time, certainly enough to deal with Rito.

"Send suppression units to the head of the bridge," Astronema ordered over the com.

If they could establish a blockade in the same manner at the palace they would be able to hold off these abominations.

"It shall be done," the voice replied back to her.

"I suppose you expect me to surrender?" Rito said looking at Goldar with a mix of respect and hatred in his eyes.

"I expect you to die!" Goldar roared rushing forward, the flames on the blade flaring out as if fed by his rage.

Rito blocked the first strike; the blades collided in a flash of light as flames flew into the air like drops of rain. Rito directed Goldar's sword to the side as he reached out with his left hand and fired a blast of dark energy from his palm, the shadowy flames blackening the side of Goldar's resplendent armor and knocking him back slightly.

"You should have stuck to sorcery instead of swordplay witch," Goldar snarled as he came back with an upward slash.

Rito stepped back, the tip of Goldar's blade grazing his chest plate, the flames licking at his chin. Rito then ducked below the strike and slashed across Goldar's midsection. Goldar stepped back drawing his stomach in, scarcely avoiding the strike. Regaining his footing Goldar brought his sword down pinning Rito's blade to the ground before kicking him in the chest and sending him back into his burning minions. Rito's cape suddenly burst into flames and was quickly cast off, fluttering to the ground like the burning wings of a moth.

Goldar thrust his blade forward attempting to skewer the necromancer, but Rito evaded and slashed at Goldar's right arm cutting through the armor and into the flesh. Goldar stepped back as dark blood oozed from his armor plating. The pain in both his arm and shoulder was intense, far worse than it should be, but he put it out of his mind.

"Seems you are the one who should abandon swordplay," Rito mocked.

Goldar's eyes opened wide as he stared into the marred face of the one who was once his master, the brother of the witch that imprisoned his race, his ire rose at the insult. With a roar he charged in, slashing furiously. Rito blocked the first strike and then the second. As Goldar attacked a third time he evaded and stabbed at his chest, but Goldar was quick to recover from his strike and parried Rito's sword to the side.

With each strike Rito could see the rage growing in the Fear Cat's eyes and feel the strength with which he landed his blows grow more intense. Rito attacked again bringing his sword down in a slash, but Goldar batted the strike away with his left arm as their gauntlets clashed. Goldar swung again, Rito jumped back narrowly avoiding a blow that could have torn his head free from his body.

Goldar moved in again with a slash, which Rito blocked and held. Rito tried to summon a shroud to conceal his movement, but before he could even recite the first word on the incantation the Fear Cat had slammed an elbow into the side of his head knocking him back.

Goldar rushed forward swinging at Rito, but the necromancer moved and Goldar's blade clove through a group of undead sending over half a dozen to the ground.

Rito charged in slashing wildly at Goldar, but Goldar was quick to parry the first and second strike before slamming his blade against the third. Rito swayed to the side as Goldar brought his sword down, his fangs clenched in a menacing grin as he sliced through Rito's arms. The necromancer watched in horror as his limbs fell to the ground, sword still clutched by the severed hands.

Before he could contemplate his next move, Goldar had slashed up from the ground cutting deep into his chest. Pain surged through Rito's body as flames tore through the inside of his armor setting his necrotized flesh ablaze. In agony he dropped to his knees raising his head to the sky in a scream. Goldar roared his defiance as he raised his sword and plunged it down through Rito's agape mouth and through his body, staking him to the ground. Goldar stepped back, his seething anger subsiding as his chest heaved in deep breathes.

"And stay dead this time," Goldar said watching the body burn.

Astronema was quick to move around Goldar and cut down the last of the undead that had not already collapsed in the flames. She almost pitied Rito for a moment; it was a dangerous thing indeed to be the sole focus of Goldar's rage. The two warriors stood in the burning circle watching Rito's body burn to ashes. At bridge the suppression forces had arrived with inferno cannons and were cutting a blazing gouge into the mass of undead, driving them back.

"We are within range," The Quantron reported.

The spectacle of The Machina loomed larger than life in the forward port of the Black Nebula. The Harbinger exploding in a bright starburst as the firepower of the great beast came to bear on it, the Warpath having been destroyed only moments before.

"Strike force, veer off, full broadsides!" Deviot ordered.

"Transmission sent,"

Deviot watched as the remaining two cruisers turned to the left and the right of The Machina, the sides of the ships lit brilliantly as a heavy barrage of weapon fire erupted from the broadside armaments showering the forward shield of The Machina in a torrent of explosive energy. The hailstorm of fire continued to pour from the two ships, weapons safeties overridden in a desperate gambit, as the Black Nebula burst passed them on a collision course with the clockwork titan.

Return fire exploded from the deck of The Machina tearing the Omen and Tempest asunder in a grizzly violent flood of plasma bursts and torpedoes. The Black Nebula continued forward, the explosions behind it blinding the targeting arrays of The Machina's guns as the light from the twin fusion reactors expended the last of their energy.

"Full power to forward shields, charge lance batteries," Deviot ordered.

"Power diverted, lances are charged." Another Quantron replied.

Deviot held for a moment as the weapon arrays on the deck below began to reacquire the Black Nebula's signature, the forward shield of The Machina was a mere two kilometers off the bow.

"Fire!" Deviot shouted.

Plasma burst forth from the forward weapon batteries followed closely by a hail of torpedoes that struck the forward shield moments before the Black Nebula rammed into it. The flagship of the Thirty-seventh shuddered for a moment as it pushed through the shields of The Machina, the engines reigniting to make up the inertia lost in the transition.

"Lance batteries target the main tower, all remaining weapons strafe the deck, launch fighters and keep the forward and ventral shields at full!"

Heavy fire was exchanged as the Black Nebula raced over the gun deck of The Machina heading for the fortress sized tower that was the command seat of the magnificent vessel. Plumes of flame jumped from the front of The Machina's Palace and the underbelly of the Black Nebula as the weapons mutually ripped apart the super structure of the vessels. Even the Black Nebula's shields were of little use against the vast amount of firepower that surged from The Machina's deck.

"Shields are failing, damage to the command tower is insufficient," the Quantron reported.

"All power to the shields and engines," Deviot replied calmly turning away from the forward port. "Prepare to ram the tower."

"Affirmative," the Quantron replied acknowledging the order.

"Vessel detected on a collision course," one of the Quantrons relayed.

"What?!" Deviot shouted turning suddenly, "Evade!"

The Quantron was unable to reply to Deviot's order as the Megalodon flew at the Black Nebula from the starboard side spearing through the ship. The force of the Megalodon knocked the warship off its heading, turning it to port. Fire leapt from hatches and hangers as the Black Nebula was consumed in a fireball, drifting to the outer edge of The Machina's shields before the weapon batteries destroyed it, lighting the void with the nova of its three fusion reactors. Rings of energy radiated out in several directions as the ship was vaporized along with the Megalodon.

"You see," Mondo said. "They are simply not a match for us,"

The Royal Family of the Machine Empire watched the vessel explode with unmoved expressions. Queen Machina stood next to King Mondo's command throne on the left with Prince Gasket and Archerina standing to the right. Below them at the tactical station Klank watched the Cogs at their posts and monitored the battle.

"Well executed father," Gasket replied watching the light fade, the last vestige of the enemy's flagship.

Black mist began to seep out onto the bridge as General Havoc stepped through the Nether to join the King.

"Ah General Havoc, excellent work," King Mondo replied.

"I don't need your gratitude," he said coldly. "I'm just here for what you promised me,"

"Of course," Mondo nodded, "Gasket?"

"Yes father," Gasket replied extending a small cylindrical object.

Havoc reached out and took the object from Gasket.

"Present that when you arrive at the Matrix Prime and they will construct whatever you wish as compensation." Mondo said.

"Then I'll take my leave," Havoc replied.

Suddenly The Machina shook. Damage reports began to flood in as the Cogs began chattering in their binary language. Havoc quickly stepped back into the Nether, happy that he already had his compensation and had no need to remain.

"What is going on?" Mondo demanded.

"Another ship sire," Klank reported. "It seems to have slipped passed our sensors while we were occupied with the Black Nebula, it might have used the explosion of the two cruisers as cover."

"On screen!" Mondo demanded.

The screen lit up showing the lithe form of the Khepri racing under The Machina, its agile form avoiding most of the firepower directed at it. The attacks that did hit were mostly against the frilled wings of the ship which seemed to do little to hamper it.

The Khepri opened fire with its ion batteries tearing open another support gravity drive as it raced toward the main drive, a massive saucer shaped projection located on the aft half of the ship.

"Stop that ship!" Mondo roared.

"We have no options left sire," Klank replied apologetically.

"Then eject the drive!" Mondo ordered.

"But sire we will be dragged down by the moon's gravity!" Klank replied.

"And if we don't we risk more damage to the ship if it explodes, now do it!" Mondo bellowed.

"Yes sire," Klank replied as he began issuing the binary orders to the Cogs.

Mondo watched the image on the display as the Khepri closed quickly on the disk beneath the ship. Suddenly the wings exploded and the ship was propelled at the disk like a projectile. Cogs chattered warnings of eminent collision.

The Machina shook as the Khepri plowed into the gravity drive, the massive engine exploded in magnificent burst of flames damaging secondary systems as the device failed catastrophically; the blazing discharge sending fragments through the hull of the ship like shrapnel.

On the bridge of the Khepri Trakeena smiled as the flames engulfed her. The spongy flesh over her exoskeletal face peeled away revealing a very different creature. Behind her Furio also burned away in a similar fashion, his face reverting to that of his commander. The two insects stood proud as their bodies were destroyed in the burning cataclysm of the Khepri's final moments, they knew they were the salvation of the colony and the Vora.

"Damage report!" Mondo bellowed.

"We're caught in the moon's gravity, fires on multiple decks, main weapons offline," Klank began to stutter as the information coming to him from the Cogs was more than he could relay.

"I think we should evacuate," Queen Machina suggested.

"I guess we have no choice." Mondo replied. "Klank prep the battleship for launch,"

"At once sire," Klank replied.

"Are we going to join the war on the surface father?" Gasket asked looking out into the vastness of space before them.

"Yes, and we must see that Zedd pays for this indignity." Mondo replied glaring at the darkened jewel in the void.

Ecliptor sat concealed on a rooftop as the armies passed below him. He was not sure where these strange creatures had come from; he had not seen their kind since Lord Zedd sent forth the demons and Trakeena to occupy the Rangers, but they were all supposed to be dead. It would appear that their intelligence had been wrong. Ecliptor prepared to contact Astronema to relay his findings, but he paused. Amid the creatures he saw an all too familiar face, the mix of metal and flesh, those burning yellow eyes, Darkonda! It wasn't possible, he was dead, he had seen to it himself.

Ecliptor was quick to prerecord a message and send the data packet. Deactivating his com system he stepped to the edge of the building and drew his weapon pointing it down at the loathsome creature below.

"Darkonda!" he shouted.

Darkonda paused as the army continued to march around him like an endless river of evil. As he caught sight of Ecliptor on the rooftop a grin spread across his face.

"Ecliptor," he said. "I was hoping I would have a chance to settle my score with you."

Darkonda drew his sword and leapt at Ecliptor, his hand extending forward as energy began to crackle around it.

"Come on, it's not much further," Josh said leaping onto the next building.

Zordon and Kimberly leapt over as Josh turned to face them. Suddenly four ominous figures rose from behind him on dragon's wings. Josh seemed to sense them and flipped back, his twin bladed naganata manifesting in his right hand as he landed.

"We have come for the power," Diabolico said pointing his staff toward Zordon as the group lighted upon the rooftop.

"Go," Zordon said aside to Josh and Kimberly.

"We can't leave you alone with these things," Kimberly protested.

"You must be strong Kimberly," Zordon said. "If this is where I am to meet my end I can not change that. You're path however lies on a different road."

Kimberly nodded trying to hold back her fears. Josh nodded in response as his naganata vanished.

"May the power protect you," Josh said as he and Kimberly leapt to an adjacent roof.

Kimberly paused for a moment looking back, before she heard Zordon's voice whisper softly in her mind, "Go, and don't look back,"

Josh and Kimberly began to race off toward the palace. Olympius moved to go after them, but Diabolico placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let them go, he has what we want."

"But that pink one," he began.

"Revenge can wait," Diabolico replied.

Olympius snarled as trace flames vented through his clenched teeth.

"Give us the power," Diabolico repeated.

"I will not," Zordon replied.

"Then we shall take it from you," Diabolico said as Olympius, Vypra, and Loki charged forward.

"You will try," Zordon replied as he stepped out into a wide fighting stance.

Jason pulled himself from the rubble of the building he had landed in. The ejection system had worked, but had engaged less than a second from the impact of the attack. The blast wave had thrown them all clear of the battlefield and into the city, but had come at a small price in the way of personal injury. Jason rotated his shoulder popping it back into place as he looked over his armor; it was covered in small tears and burns, but nothing too serious.

"Guys?" Jason called out.

"Yeah," Billy called back stumbling down some stairs to the ground level. "I'm here."

"Adam, Ashley?" Jason tried again.

Billy activated his com, "Ashley, Adam?"

"I'm alright," Adam responded. "I'm just on the roof,"

"Can you see Ashley?" Jason asked.

"I'm here," Ashley replied coming around the corner.

Adam leapt from the rooftop to join the others on the ground.

"So where do we go from here?" Ashley asked.

"You're not going anywhere," a voice said from behind.

The Rangers spun around as four figures stepped from the shadow of the building, their sinister smiles immediately giving away their identities.

"You can't be here," Billy said. "You're all dead, I saw it happen."

"We're very real, I assure you," Blue replied.

"And this time you have no one to bail you out, and no one to betray us," Red said as his sword manifest in a flash of red light. "Which means there is nothing stopping me from carving a permanent smile into your face."

Jason manifested his own sword as Red charged at him, his body exploding in a flash of golden light as he transformed to his higher morphed state. His blade met with Red's as it exploded into flames, the icons down the blade lighting in a bright red glow.

"This ends now!" Red shouted bearing down on Jason's blade.

The other Psychos cheered as they began to run forward, their weapons forming in bursts of dark, multicolored light, their Ranger counterparts mirroring their actions. The two groups raced toward one another, the battle lines closing until they clashed, energy lashed out like lightning as weapons collided with the rumble of thunder.


	21. Chapter 21

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-21-

A figure cloaked in the shadows watched from a tower amid the city as the armies of the enemy passed by, hordes of demon spawn and Kimera marching, bolstered by the undead that continued to pour from the Earth like pus from an infected wound. Above the countless legions stood a solitary warrior on another rooftop, the tattered robe around his legs fluttering subtly in the wind; his bionic eye scanning ahead as the legions split around the northern and southern sides of the crater on their way to the bridge that led to the main gate of Lord Zedd's Palace.

Vexacus sneered at the title of Lord even as he thought it. Zedd was nothing more than a weak fool who, perchance, had found himself in the possession of great power. This power was his only saving grace, his tactics were laughable, his ability to gather intelligence was nearly non-existent, and his system of control over the vast empire he held was fragile. Only on a bastion world was there any true control, but any other world was only held in compliance for a lack of hope, a single spark could easily ignite a fire among a hundred worlds to rise up and rebel. Perhaps after this battle had concluded he would take the time to start such a blaze, if only to watch the Empire tear itself apart. Though in such a universe there would surely be plenty of work for a mercenary.

Vexacus stepped forward when he suddenly caught a glint of light from the corner of his good eye. He leaned back as a spinning blade arced passed his face before vanishing into the darkness beyond him. Vexacus turned pulling his sword as a shadowy figure leapt down at him.

Goldar was seated on the bridge behind the battle line of Quantrons. The armies of the undead had begun to wander aimlessly being denied access to the bridge. Their rotting forms roaming beyond the range of the Quantron's Inferno Cannons.

Goldar's pauldrons sat on the ground alongside his right rerebrace, a Quantron knelt in front of the armor pieces patching up the holes left by Rito's blade and filing away the rust that had strangely formed on the armor within a matter of minutes. Another Quantron was examining the wounds on Goldar's right arm and left shoulder. The fur had been shaved away revealing a deep gray skin underneath. The dark color of the skin contrasted against the bright greenish white pus the oozed from the wound. The Quantron scooped away a small sample and smeared it over a receptor plate on a small black slate it held in its left hand.

"This is pointless," Goldar snarled. "Our enemies are still numerous and I am stuck here because of a few scratches."

"Even you can see you've been infected with something," Astronema said sharply.

She had noticed something was wrong when the horrid pus began to flow from the wounds along with the blood. Goldar had been resistant to the idea of being examined, but as Astronema out ranked him he had little choice.

"Besides," she added. "What kind of warrior's death would you have if it was on a bed, struck down by a disease?"

Goldar only growled in response. He knew she was right, there was no honor in such a pathetic death, but the thought of being denied battle when so many enemies still abounded after months of silence was a cruel fate. He cursed Rito under his breath for his cowardly sorcery.

"Analysis complete," the Quantron announced.

"And?" Goldar growled, losing patience.

"Infection is caused by bacteria, no magical elements detected. Antibiotic is being synthesized, estimated time to completion twenty-six seconds."

"See," Goldar replied. "Nothing but a minor infection," he began to rise to his feet.

"And what would be the result without antibiotics?" Astronema asked taking care to stop him with a firm hand on his right shoulder.

"Subject would likely die within twenty-three point eight three hours." The Quantron replied.

"Your toy severely underestimates the resolve of a Fear Cat," Goldar growled.

"Hold on," Astronema said as her visual display indicated she had an incoming message. With a neural signal the message was opened and the image on her HUD was washed out as a information was displayed. "It appears Ecliptor has found Darkonda, apparently he wasn't dead after all," she said to relay the information to Goldar. Her display flashed again as another message came in. Astronema accessed it before looking into the rest of Ecliptor's report. "No," she said suddenly.

"What is it?" Goldar asked as the Quantron administered the first of two injections to his shoulder.

"Vexacus survived," she replied. "Scorpina has just located him and is moving to engage."

"Where?!" Goldar demanded. The Quantron injected the second dose into his arm.

"You should rest," The Quantron said. "The inoculation will dull your senses,"

"Where is she?" Goldar repeated already reattaching his armor.

"Sector twenty-seven block four," Astronema replied.

Before Astronema could say another word she felt a blast of wind as Goldar's wings unfurled, catapulting him into the sky. Astronema watched him vanish into the blackened day with a sigh.

"Deploy all attack craft and signal our forces to clear a path to the planet," King Mondo ordered as the Royal Family proceeded down the hanger toward the gear shaped battleship.

While outwardly the ship was identical to the thousands of Cog ships in the Machine Empire fleet it had reduced weapon capacity in exchange for heavier armor, allowing for the Royals to move within the fleet with a certain degree of anonymity while still being well protected.

"Things are already underway," Klank replied as the Royals began boarding the battleship.

Klank stood to the side with a bow as they entered the ship. Gasket gave him a passing glance as the door closed behind them. Klank turned from the battleship and began walking across the hanger toward a Quadrafighter being prepped. He had other duties to perform.

Pyramidas plowed into the northern end of the city gouging the surface of the planet as buildings were smashed to rubble against its titanic form. After skidding nearly a quarter mile the War Zord came to a halt. Trey looked over the instrument panels; missiles were depleted, heavy damage to the main power relay, some structural and thermal damage from reentry, but nothing too serious. It seemed that the damage control system had been slowed by the lack of power, he could attempt to reroute the power, but that could take a considerable amount of time on his own.

He began shutting down unnecessary systems to consolidate his limited power supply and powered back the main reactor to reduce his energy signature. With a moment of hesitation he activated the ship's cloaking field. He hoped his arrival would go largely unnoticed with all the other chaos, and while the cloaking device used a considerable amount of energy, it was better than being discovered. Still with the scar his ship left on the landscape even with the cloaking field it wouldn't take them long to locate him if they were searching. Sitting back in his command chair he activated the sensor array and scanned the battlefield. From the first sweep he could see a large army moving in from the west and a battle between Zords, or something of equivalent mass, taking place to the east. Other activity was scattered, though the system could identify several Ranger signatures to the east and south. Trey leaned forward looking at the display. The signatures to the east appeared to be outside the conflict zone where the Zords were engaged.

Trey pressed several buttons magnifying the region in question. He could see the four Rangers, they were too spread out to be inside the Ultra Zord, it must have been destroyed, but what were the other four signatures that appeared on the display? Their signatures were similar to the Rangers, but fundamentally different. Whatever it was it was quiet possible they needed help. Trey encoded a message and sent it to Andros at maximum power hoping that would be enough to get through the Nightmare Dark and exited the cockpit.

Trip strafed the dorsal shields of a heavy cruiser as Andros and Zhane followed on his left and right flank adding their own strength to the attack. The cruiser's already weakened shields buckled and collapsed in a burst of azure light as Zhane's missile barrage ripped burning holes in the outer armor, though the damage was little more than cosmetic.

"I think there's something wrong with The Machina," Rocky reported.

"Get me a visual," Andros said.

"Got it," Shawna replied as her fingers danced over the controls.

The image on the secondary screen showed The Machina falling toward the moon, the engines burning furiously against its descent, but the drives were not strong enough to break free of the gravity well.

"It looks like they disabled it," Andros replied.

"That should make our job easier," Zhane replied.

"Actually, we're doing little good up here anymore, now that almost all the strike cruisers and escorts have been eliminated." Trip replied. "Even with our combined firepower we're only doing superficial damage to most of the remaining ships. I think this battle will be decided by the remaining forces, which at present puts the Thirty-seventh fleet ahead by a small margin."

"We have an incoming transmission from Trey," Shawna said. "Looks like a battle report."

"Rocky, take over navigations," Andros said transferring the controls.

Rocky took hold of the secondary piloting controls, the ship jerked slightly as he made a subtle course correction. Andros pulled up the data evaluating the information Trey had sent them. It seemed that the war on the surface was intensifying; it looked like the Ultra Zord was down, but there was still a sizable Zord war occurring east of the palace, the Q-Rex appeared to be on the perimeter of the fight.

"I think we should descend to the surface and help Tommy," Andros replied. "It looks as if he's all alone at the present."

"Sounds good to me," Zhane replied.

With a final volley into the side of a Machine Empire Cog the three vessels turned toward the Earth dropping below the plane of battle as they raced under the remaining ships of the Thirty-seventh.

"Got something on the sensors coming up fast," Trip relayed.

"We don't have it yet," Shawna replied.

"It's at one point two,"

"I've got it," Shawna replied.

"Give me a visual," Andros replied.

The image flickered on the screen, a large black vessel, a red M shaped insignia stood out on the top of the ship. Twin cannons projected from the front adjacent to the bridge and large fins rose from the back in a V split.

"It can't be," Andros said at a loss for a moment. "Zhane do you see this?"

"I see it, but I don't believe it," Zhane replied.

"What is it?" Rocky asked.

"That's the Delta Mega Ship," Andros replied.

Suddenly the guns of the Delta Mega Ship lit up as multiple shots broke out against the three vessels. The three ships were quick to break formation avoiding the volley.

"You guys keep going," Zhane said. "I'll take care of this,"

"You sure?' Andros asked.

"I'm not going to let anyone use Karovan technology against us, just go, I can handle this."

"Alright," Andros conceded. "Good luck."

The Time Shadow and Mega Ship banked to the right and left around the Delta Mega Ship as Zhane dove toward the stolen ship opening up with a volley from his particle cannons, raking them over the forward shields before sailing over the ship; as Zhane circled around for another attack Andros and Trip descended to the planet.

Ecliptor dove to the side as a burst of amber energy raged forth from Darkonda's hand. He swiftly rolled to his feet as Darkonda landed on the rooftop.

"How did you escape death this time you worm?" Ecliptor said; his burning red eyes fixed on Darkonda.

"I have my ways," Darkonda replied smugly.

Ecliptor could see nothing would be gained from this discussion. "I suppose I should just finish you quickly then," he said as he transformed in a blaze of red light.

"That trick won't save you this time," Darkonda replied as a golden energy began to coruscate over his body.

Twisted spines began to burst from Darkonda's shoulders and head as existing spikes and teeth extended out even further; his face became more twisted as his whole body warped in the unnatural energy. His hands stretched as his fingers became long and bony, talons broke through the flesh and a large bony blade burst from his left arm.

"As you can see," Darkonda began; his voice deeper and more menacing. "I've learned a new trick too,"

"It won't be enough," Ecliptor promised.

With an outstretched hand Ecliptor launched a stream of red lightning at Darkonda at almost the same instant as the abomination reached out sending a streak of yellow energy from his own palm. The two streams crossed in the air creating a swirl of fiery colors for an instant before the energy arced into the chests of the two warriors. Both staggered back.

Ecliptor was quick to lash out with his sword, the weapon cracking with crimson light before a wave of energy was hurled from the edge of the blade at Darkonda. Darkonda immediately leapt into the air as the attack struck the edge of the building cutting through the corner cleanly, causing the section to slide from its place and plummet to the street below.

Darkonda drew his left arm back as he came down on Ecliptor with his blade pointed at his chest. Ecliptor stepped back and brought his sword up to block the strike, catching Darkonda's arm blade. He quickly lunged forward trying to throw Darkonda off balance, but Darkonda was quick to spear his rapier through Ecliptor's stomach.

With a grunt of frustration Ecliptor shoved Darkonda back, the sword pulling back from the wound exposing a small hole of sparking circuitry. Ecliptor sent a burst of energy from his eyes that tore over the surface of Darkonda's chest cutting a gash from one side the other. A thin trickle of dark liquid ran down his chest as a cruel smile spread over his face.

Darkonda charged back in slashing wildly as Ecliptor wielded his sword with great prowess matching Darkonda blow for blow. Suddenly Darkonda's body erupted in a burst of lightning, the energy arced out in all directions encompassing Ecliptor and throwing him to the ground as the electricity surged through his internal mechanisms.

As Ecliptor hit the ground Darkonda fired a blast of crimson light from his eyes striking Ecliptor in the center of his chest burning away a patch of armor. Ecliptor rolled to his side to conceal the damage as his internal systems struggled to regenerate the immolated parts.

With a shout Ecliptor rose to his feet sending a ball of fire at the smirking monster; Darkonda evaded. Diving to the ground Darkonda sent another burst of energy from his hand, but Ecliptor caught the blast with his sword, dispersing the energy into the air.

Ecliptor barely had a moment to think before Darkonda relentlessly charged in again. Ecliptor blocked the first strike before slashing down with his sword, catching Darkonda off guard. The blade cut a deep wound into Darkonda's chest sending a spray of black blood from his body. Darkonda backed away clutching his wound with his left hand while pointing his sword at Ecliptor with his right.

Darkonda grinned suddenly and stood up, his hand dropping away. Ecliptor grimaced upon seeing the wound seal shut leaving his flesh unblemished.

"As you can see my regenerative powers rival even yours," Darkonda smirked.

"Your over confidence will be your downfall just as it was the last time," Ecliptor said pointing his blade at him.

"Only this time my over confidence is justified," Darkonda roared as he fired another blast of energy from his eyes.

Ecliptor blocked with his sword, the blade heating red hot as it absorbed much of the energy. Darkonda had already begun his charge, closing the distance between them quickly. Ecliptor sent a blast of energy from his eyes toward Darkonda's chest. As Darkonda moved to block Ecliptor sent another blast of energy from his left hand into his leg. Distracted, the energy burned into Darkonda's thigh causing him to stumble and fall to his knees.

Ecliptor stepped forward gripping his sword with both hands and came in with a low swing attempting to decapitate Darkonda. Ecliptor's sword bit into the spines that twisted out from Darkonda's body cutting through them as the blade traveled toward his enemy's neck. Blood sizzled on the hot blade as it ripped from Darkonda's flesh. Unfortunately, the blade cut too shallow, the protection from the spines dampening the attack. Darkonda fell forward as black liquid hemorrhaged from his neck.

Reaching out with his left hand Darkonda thrust his palm up at Ecliptor releasing an enormous burst of power which sent Ecliptor flying back and crashing into the far side of the roof. Darkonda gurgled through his blood as he struggled to breathe. Slowly his flesh began to stitch back together as his arteries reattached and resealed. With a cough as the rest of the blood was expelled from his lungs he rose to his feet, the spines around his head growing back out to their full length.

Ecliptor pushed himself to his feet, his sword planted on the roof for support.

"Look at you!" Darkonda mocked. "You can barely stand!"

Ecliptor ignored his chiding. He knew Darkonda was right, he had grown more powerful, but not so powerful that he could not be defeated. He needed to bide his time, another opportunity to deliver a death blow would present itself; he just needed to be cautious.

Darkonda stretched out his left hand sending a barrage of spines from his palm. Ecliptor stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the attack as one of the spines grazed his abdomen.

Suddenly a chain lashed out from Darkonda's outstretched hand and wrapped around Ecliptor's neck. Before Ecliptor could react Darkonda had pulled him forward and rushed ahead. With a hard thrust Darkonda attempted to skewer Ecliptor on his sword, but Ecliptor managed to twist his body to avoid a direct strike, still the blade carved into his chest in addition to several cables and servos.

Ecliptor tumbled passed Darkonda as he reached behind his head with his sword, cutting the chain. Darkonda stumbled forward, having put too much force into his strike, giving Ecliptor time to pull himself to his feet. Ecliptor wasn't sure how, but Darkonda was getting faster, and each new attack lessened his ability to combat him effectively. Clutching his sword with both hands Ecliptor staggered back watching Darkonda.

"This is over," Darkonda sneered. "You are undone,"

Ecliptor did not reply; his dimly glowing green eyes were locked on Darkonda. A smile crept to Darkonda's face as he dashed towards Ecliptor again, arms spread. As he approached Ecliptor swung his sword in a fierce arc sending out a wave of energy in a crescent. Darkonda leapt into the air to avoid it, firing a stream of light from his eyes. To his shock Ecliptor did not attempt to evade. Instead the warrior stepped into the attack as he swung his sword again. His arms tore at the shoulder joints causing his arms to sag as the sword carved into the rooftop releasing a second arc of energy into the air.

Darkonda's attack struck Ecliptor in the chest, burning a hole through his right breast plate. Ecliptor dropped his sword as flames burst from his chest, the weakened armor unable to absorb the blow. His body began to course with red energy as he slowly dropped to his knees.

Darkonda's victory was short lived as he found himself unable to evade Ecliptor's final attack. The arc of energy severed Darkonda diagonally across the chest cutting his arms from his sides. His body flopped to the ground in front of Ecliptor.

Ecliptor looked down on the face of his opponent as both their bodies reverted to their normal states. Darkonda looked up at the machine; his red eyes dim from the damage he had taken. A spiteful smile was on Darkonda's as he began laughing, his gurgling cackles spouting black blood over his face. Ecliptor smiled too as he heaved his sword up with his right arm and plunged the end into Darkonda's face.

With his strength failing Ecliptor fell forward landing on the rooftop next to Darkonda's corpse. With a smile still on his face Ecliptor's eyes dimmed into blackness.

Zordon swung his staff at Olympius as the first of the demons reached him. The demon blocked with his staff only to have his legs knocked out from under him as Zordon swept them from behind with the other end of his weapon. As he fell away Zordon caught Vypra's sword and parried it to the side before striking her in the back, sending her to the ground.

Loki came in next bringing his axe down on the wizard. Zordon sidestepped the blade and thrust his staff up into Loki's stomach. As the monstrous demon bowed down from the blow Zordon leapt to the top of his shoulders and lunged at Diabolico. Diabolico quickly blocked with his own staff.

Zordon twirled his own weapon before striking again at Diabolico. The demon blocked again, but the attack was only a diversion. Zordon's right hand released from the staff and was thrust forward as the wizard quickly recited an incantation. As his hand struck the demon's chest a heptagram lit up in flames on Diabolico's chest plate. Over the seven pointed star a blazing blue circle appeared rimmed with arcane writing. The icon twisted around the heptagram as if screwing down before both vanished. Diabolico staggered back for a moment.

Zordon did not have time to rest as Loki came back at him from behind. Zordon leapt over the attack, inverting his body in the air as the axe blade glided under him. From his inverted position Zordon threw a kick into Loki's head and pushed off with a flip as he landed on his feet.

He quickly raised his staff blocking an attack from both Vypra and Olympius. Shoving their attacks back he spun and struck Vypra in the chest and ducking under another strike from Olympius. From his position on the rooftop he pushed off the ground with his staff and sent a hard kick into Olympius' stomach with both feet, the demon almost flying to the ground if not for his wings, the rush of air sweeping across the ground as he stabilized himself.

Loki recovered and attacked again. Zordon caught the axe blade as it fell, the razor's edge grinding against his staff. Suddenly he vanished down into the ground only to emerge behind them.

Loki spun suddenly ready to attack, but Diabolico stepped to his side and placed the head of his staff against his arm in restraint.

"What did you do to me?" Diabolico demanded.

"I bound your sorcery," Zordon replied.

"So your incarceration has made you fearful of the sorcery of others?" Diabolico replied with a malicious smile.

"On the contrary, it has made me wise to the tricks of others," Zordon replied.

Diabolico suddenly lashed out attempting to send an ethereal blast of energy from his staff, but the weapon only flashed in a blaze of blood red light before fading.

"So much for your sorcery," Olympius said, his tone half mocking.

Loki charged at Zordon with a loud roar that echoed through the city streets below. Zordon sidestepped his attack letting Loki rush passed him and charged forward thrusting the tip of his staff into Olympius' chest, discharging a bolt of fiery light. Olympius flew back, his claws scraping across the roof as he stabilized himself with his wings. Zordon twirled his staff and thrust the butt into Vypra's stomach before spinning it around and striking her in the head, the discharge of energy slamming her face first into the ground.

Loki turned swinging his axe in a wide arc, the force of the attack pushed Zordon back as the wizard held his staff vertically to block the strike. Before Loki could recover Zordon flipped the base of the staff up striking Loki under the chin and knocking him back. With a quick spin Zordon turned to face Diabolico and fired a blazing dart of lightning from his hand. Diabolico moved to the side, the dart spearing through his shoulder as a dark sludge exploded from the exit wound.

"Not bad wizard," Diabolico sneered. "But it will take more than your pathetic tricks to defeat us."

Laughter suddenly rang out, saturating the area in a cacophony of psychotic cackles. With an impact like a thunder clap a dark object slammed into the rooftop throwing everyone back as a sonic wave discharged from the point of impact. Zordon was quick to recover, landing on his feet as the demons took to the air hovering inches from the ground. Standing in the circle was Psycho Green. The Savage Sword held in his grasp was nearly as big as he was and shimmered with a green light as emerald waves of lightning danced over its surface. He gazed around at the demons and at Zordon, the blazing green fires in his eyes flared as his stare fixed on each in turn.

Then hefting the giant blade into the air, with a hysteric shriek, he charged.

Jason pushed Red back taking a swipe at him with his talons. The golden claws raked over the Psycho Ranger's armor but did little to damage the jet black surface. Red spun unleashing a roundhouse which Jason blocked with a raised arm. With Red off balance Jason stepped in and slashed at the Psycho, unfortunately Red was quick to block the strike with his own sword before flipping backward and regain his footing.

Jason charged in with an upward slash. Red leaned back, the blade missing his face by inches before he thrust his own blade into Jason's chest. The Red Ranger knocked the strike away with his golden talon, the blade sparking against the armor plating. Red dropped to the ground and threw a sweep catching Jason off guard. As Jason fell over backward Red came to his feet and threw an axe kick, slamming his heel into Jason's chest.

Jason exhaled hard as Red's heel smashed into his chest. Hitting the ground Jason gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. Red came down at him attempting to run his sword through the Red Ranger's sternum below the shield, but Jason turned to one side as the flat of the blade slid down his back. Jason threw a kick up into Red's pelvis causing him to stagger back.

Still struggling to breathe Jason leapt to his feet and fell into a fighting stance hoping Red would take a moment to make the next move. Red however was all too anxious to continue and threw a fireball from his left hand, then from his right before jumping into the air and performing a spinning kick, launching another fiery blast from his foot. Jason blocked the first attack with his sword, but the second caught him in the shoulder, the golden shield absorbing the damage, but not the force as he was knocked off balance before the final blow hit him in the face knocking him to the ground.

Red ran at him leaping into the air with his sword outstretched. Jason managed to catch him with his feet and launch him into the air and over his body. Red flipped over and landed on his feet as Jason rolled up into a fighting stance, air once again filling his lungs. With a deep breath Jason refocused himself as Red rushed in again.

Billy's lance locked with Blue's as the two stared at one another across the arcing energy dancing between their weapons. Billy was the first to act, bringing his lance around and knocking one of Blue's feet off the ground. Blue allowed his leg to be moved up and parlayed the attack into a kick to Billy's knee. Billy's leg twisted as Blue's strike wrenched his knee. Blue put his foot down between Billy's legs behind his feet as he pressed in on his lance off balancing Billy and knocking him over backward. With a quick twist Blue plunged his weapon at Billy's chest, but Billy blocked with his own lance catching the three pronged blade with the shaft of his weapon.

Billy tipped his lance causing Blue's spearhead to slide to one side as he turned his body and kicked Blue in the leg. The Psycho Ranger staggered slighting affording Billy a split second to jump to his feet. Blue quickly lunged at him with an elbow to the jaw, knocking Billy back. Billy shook off the attack and the two began to circle one another, carefully observing the other's mannerisms.

"It's like fighting a shadow isn't it?" Blue said with a sadistic smile.

"Not exactly," Billy replied. "Even if you have knowledge about me and share some of my attributes you don't think like me at all."

"I might be closer than you want to believe," Blue said moving in.

The two weaved their lances furiously trading blows and blocks as they moved around in their circle. As Blue struck again, Billy pushed the strike back and split his lances apart thrusting at Blue with one of them. Blue caught the attack with the shaft of his weapon and stepped back, splitting his weapon in two pieces as Billy slashed with his other lance. Blue blocked pushing Billy's lance high before taking a swipe at him with the other. Billy jumped back and reconnected his two weapons into a single shaft before stepping back toward Blue. Blue attempted to rejoin his lances, but Billy knocked one aside and brought one of his bladed ends down cutting a deep scratch into Blue's visor.

Blue ignored the attack and speared Billy in the shoulder, the middle tip piercing shallowly into his shoulder. Billy stepped back, his hand instinctively clutching his shoulder.

"Looks like I drew first blood," Blue said with a satisfied grin.

Ashley caught both of Yellow's strikes with her own daggers, yet as the two stood in place, their weapons grating against one another in flashes of amber light, Yellow lunged forward slamming her head into Ashley's helmet. Ashley's visor cracked as the hard upper crest of Yellow's helmet impacted on it.

Ashley stepped back as Yellow pressed forward with a flying roundhouse. Ashley caught her leg and threw her to the side. Yellow skidded to a stop coming to a rest on all fours.

"No one to help you this time," Yellow said as she ran her tongue over her lips.

Ashley tried to ignore her remarks and recomposed her fighting stance. Yellow smirked before rushing at her again. At first Yellow drew her arms back as if she was going to strike with her daggers, but as Ashley moved to block Yellow brought her knee up slamming it into Ashley's stomach. Ashley doubled over the blow as Yellow brought the pommels of her daggers down on Ashley's back slamming her onto the ground.

"Face it cupcake, you were never a match for me," Yellow mocked as she circled above Ashley's body.

Something in Ashley snapped at Yellow's insult. With a scream Ashley flipped to her feet and threw a roundhouse connecting with Yellow's torso and knocking her back. Before Yellow could recover Ashley charged in, throwing a punch into Yellow's stomach and slamming an elbow into her jaw before she leapt into the air and threw an axe kick into the top of Yellow's head, slamming her onto the ground.

Yellow coughed as dust was thrown up from the ground. Slowly she rose to her feet; Ashley stood back watching her, her chest heaving as she tried to calm down. Yellow's visor had a small hairline crack running down it. The Psycho Ranger smiled as she shook off the attack.

"This might just be a good fight after all," she said charging in.

Yellow trust forward with one of her daggers, which Ashley sidestepped before Yellow tried to stab her with the other. Ashley slammed her arm down on Yellow's forearm, knocking the dagger from her hand before throwing a roundhouse into the Psycho Ranger's head. Yellow staggered back reaching out as she called her dagger back to her.

Ashley raced in thrusting one dagger into Yellow's chest before plunging in the next. The blades ripped through the armor as a light gray powder began to seep out. Yellow kicked Ashley in the midsection forcing her back. As Ashley regained her composure she could see that ash was pouring out from Yellow's body.

Then with a deep inhalation the fine powder began to retract into Yellow's body before the holes sealed up. Ashley shook her head in disbelief.

"It's like I said," Yellow said grinning sadistically, "You were never a match for me."

Adam's axe grazed off of Black's weapon as he leapt over the Psycho Ranger. Black spun around slashing his blade at Adam, but Adam had already landed in a perfect leg split as the blade sliced through the air above his head. Adam lashed out trying to cut into Black's legs; however, the Psycho Ranger leapt back avoiding the strike.

Adam shot up to his feet as Black charged forward slashing his axe in an arc at Adam's chest. Adam caught the blade with his own axe and threw a side kick into Black's chest before whipping his own axe in an arc. Black blocked the strike with the shaft of his weapon and threw an elbow at Adam's head. Adam leaned away; Black's strike skimming passed his helmet as Adam dropped to the ground. With a hard kick Adam slammed the blade of his foot into Black's knee. The Psycho Ranger twisted as he fell, his knee buckling from Adam's attack.

Adam attempted to decapitate the Psycho Ranger as he fell, but Black caught the shaft of Adam's axe with his hand and pushed it back. Adam stumbled back before converting his axe to blaster mode and putting a shot dead center in Black's chest. Black was thrown back as the energy bolt exploded in a flash of purple light.

Black jumped to his feet, the spot where he had been hit was now dull, lacking the sheen of the rest of his armor. Adam noticed too late that the Psycho had pulled his blaster as he had come back up. Several plasma bolts flew at Adam as he leapt into the air trying to evade. The first missed as Adam twisted unnaturally, the second soared passed his arm lightly singeing his armor; the third clipped his left leg burning a small gash in the armor and seared his flesh. The last shot glanced off Adam's axe and hit his wrist. The armor was burned away and the skin underneath was scorched.

Adam exhaled through clenched teeth as he growled in pain. Black holstered his blaster and charged in smacking Adam in the head with the butt of his axe cracking the side of his helmet in a spider web pattern. Adam hit the ground and rolled clear as Black came down on him with a fist.

Forgetting his pain Adam leapt up and launched a spinning kick, hitting Black in the side of the head. As Black swayed to the side Adam threw a back kick into the Psycho's chest before turning toward him and executing a flip kick knocking Black up into the air. As Adam landed he turned his axe around and fired a cannon shot into Black's chest sending him to the ground.

Hitting the ground Black took hold of his pistol and fired a surprise shot through the base of the holster hitting Adam in the right shoulder burning a hole in his armor and charring his skin. Jumping to his feet Black fired a shot from his own axe cannon, the blast hit Adam in the center of his helmet blasting his visor to pieces in a shower of black flames and jagged shrapnel.

"There they are," Rocky announced as the Mega Ship approached the battlefield.

Andros could see the war machines facing off on the ground below. The Reapers had fallen back into the city where they could use the buildings for cover. The drones of the Machine Empire were steadily advancing, their powerful weapon arrays making short work of defensive coverings and any Reaper unfortunate enough to find itself in the open.

The Q-Rex momentarily emerged and fired a twin blast from its cannons carving a red hot scar into one of the drones before it vanished behind another series of buildings as a return volley was launched from the damaged drone.

"Tommy, this is Andros, what's the situation?"

"Heavy resistance from these Machine Empire walkers," Tommy replied. "The Reapers go down pretty easy, but these gun pods just keep advancing. Between my efforts and the Reapers only two of them have been destroyed."

"Understood," Andros replied. "Where are the others?"

"Jason and the others had to eject after the Ultra Zord took heavy damage, I haven't heard from them since then."

"Alright," Andros replied. "Trip and I are coming in to help you." Andros cut the communication line. "Deca, initiate Astro Mega Zord transformation sequence."

"Acknowledged," Deca replied.

Above the city the Astro Mega Ship began to transform. The Time Shadow vanished from the skies as Trip engaged the cloaking device. Within seconds the Astro Mega Zord had finished its transformation and dropped behind a mound of rubble that had once been a large building; a huge cannon manifested in the Zord's hands having the form of a rifle with a single large barrel. Some distance away there was an impact as the Time Shadow touched down still cloaked.

The Astro Mega Zord glanced around the corner of the ruined building keeping its back to the wall. From the cockpit Andros could see at least a dozen walkers on the hill. The machines had stopped advancing, instead, holding on the ridge outside the city.

"What could they be gaining from holding their position in the open like that?" Andros wondered aloud.

"I think I may have the answer," Trip replied.

"You found something?" Andros asked.

"It appears that the drones have a twin shield generator design."

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked.

"Each machine has a standard omni-directional shield, but is also equipped with a pinpoint barrier generator. Alone these additional pinpoint shields are not very effective, but if all the drones were networked they would be able to combine their shields to produce a type of strong point able to deflect heavy attacks, provided they could process the computations such a feat would require."

"So if they advanced into the buildings then they wouldn't be able to use their pinpoint shields cooperatively," Andros replied.

"Not if they lost line of sight," Trip replied.

"Let's test your theory," Andros said. "Tommy, see if you can draw some fire so the Reapers have an opportunity to mass their attacks, target the drone on the far left."

"Okay," Tommy replied.

The Q-Rex stampeded out from amongst several buildings and fired a cannon shot toward the left most drone. The cannons had barely discharged when several of the drones turned and opened fire on the Q-Rex. Tommy stormed off into the tangle of buildings once again as shells and laser bursts struck the side armor. Rockets launched from the backs of the drones swirling toward the Q-Rex. However, many were destroyed trying to navigate the tight corners of the city, smashing instead into buildings sending rubble raining down into the streets.

As if on cue several Reapers stepped out from behind their concealed locations opening fire on the nearest drone. Four beams of amethyst light blazed from streets illuminating the dreary city. The combined fire struck the drone slowly boring into the armor; a cerulean aura was barely visible around the edge of the beams.

The Astro Mega Zord stepped out from behind its cover and fired a shot from its cannon at a different drone. The burst of golden energy streaked into drone lines plowing into the head like tower of one of the drones. With a blazing thunder clap the drone's head exploded into fragments as the huge machine fell to the ground, rolling down the hill into the streets below.

The Astro Mega Zord ducked back into cover as a hail of return fire raced toward it. The Zord hunkered down against the rubble as explosions raked the ground around it sending dust and debris into the air. Andros could hear the noise as fragments rained down on the outer hull of the Zord.

The Reapers had already fallen back, Andros' attack having distracted the Machine Empire drones long enough for Zedd's warriors to take cover.

"I would say it's likely they can only protect one or two drones at a time," Andros said. "Of course, since the Reapers are programmed to mass their firepower it's a good countermeasure, but it seems the Machine Empire did not anticipate our involvement."

"We need to take down more of them," Trip said. "Each one destroyed reduces their ability to repel damage."

"That might be easier said than done," Tommy replied. "Look up,"

Andros and Trip both looked to the skies to see move fiery streaks descending beyond the hills. Their burning silhouettes contrasting brightly against the blackened atmosphere.

"Looks like this battle just got a lot more difficult," Andros said.

Vexacus lashed out with his sword as a figure in golden armor landed in front of him. Scorpina ducked his initial slash and jumped out with an arm bar to Vexacus' chest. The mercenary stepped back before suddenly leaping aside as Scorpina's bladed boomerang arced back. Scorpina caught the weapon with her armored hand, gracefully slowing it as she redirected the energy and stepped into a defensive stance.

"So you've come back to die," Vexacus said, his tone mocking.

"You're the one that will die here traitor," Scorpina spat vehemently.

"That remains to be seen," Vexacus replied. "But I doubt you will be the one to take my life."

Scorpina charged Vexacus with a loud shout. Vexacus seemed unmoved by her passion and firmed up his stance as he caught her attack, her blade locking in the serrations of his blade. Scorpina broke the hold and slashed again, but Vexacus caught her strike and brought his knee up attempting to slam it into her mid section.

Scorpina was able to sidestep the attack and roll her blade off Vexacus'. She dropped to the ground trying to sweep out his planted leg, but Vexacus quickly pushed off with his foot and flipped sideways to his left. Landing, he thrust his left hand out sending a blast of pale yellow light from his palm. Scorpina dove to the side as the ball of energy struck the ground exploding in flames.

Scorpina rolled to her feet and hurled her weapon at Vexacus, the suddenness nearly catching him off guard as the blade spun passed his head, nicking his face. Vexacus flinched momentary as Scorpina rushed forward slugging Vexacus across the jaw with her armored hand.

The mercenary rolled with the punch and unleashed a roundhouse, catching Scorpina in the shoulder, causing her to stagger to the side. Vexacus dropped to the ground to sweep Scorpina as the boomerang returned, but Scorpina leapt into the air, flipping over his strike and catching her sword while inverted before landing on the ground a short distance from Vexacus.

Vexacus made the first move this time, leaping into the air with a spinning crescent kick. The distance allowed Scorpina to counter easily as she lashed out with her sword to take Vexacus' leg. However, Vexacus suddenly bent his knee as Scorpina's blade clove through the air leaving her open as Vexacus brought his sword down, the serrated blade bit into her chest plate, crimson blood spurted from the edges of the cut as flesh and armor were torn by the jagged teeth of Vexacus' weapon.

Scorpina staggered back, blood running down over her golden plating before falling in heavy drops to the rooftop. Vexacus chuckled as Scorpina held her blade out as if trying to keep him back as she clutched at her chest with the other hand.

"This isn't over," she said glaring at him.

"But it will be soon," Vexacus replied. "Though I must say, you've lasted much longer than I expected."

Vexacus' bionic eye whirled for a moment before he whipped his arm out in an arc sending multiple bursts of energy from his palm. Scorpina staggered back shielding her eyes as plumes of fire erupted all around her. No sooner had she recovered than Vexacus burst through the flames with a kick to her knee. Scorpina's leg buckled as she began to fall forward. As she dropped Vexacus brought his knee up slamming it into her stomach. Scorpina's body lurched up as blood sprayed from her mouth spattering over the roof.

Vexacus then smashed his left elbow down on the back of Scorpina's head as she fell onto the ground. Scorpina landed on her hands and knees, blood still drooling down from her mouth. With a half spin Vexacus came to one side of her and swung his sword down striking the back of her neck. With a sick fleshy tear Scorpina's head dropped to the ground as her body fell to the side. Vexacus drew his weapon back flinging the blade away from his body sending blood droplets flying off the blade before twirling the sword around and returning it to his back.

"Die traitor!" A voice roared from above him.

Vexacus dove to the side pulling his sword as Goldar slammed into the building, his wings retracting into his body. As the two rose facing one another Vexacus could see the enraged look in Goldar's eyes as the Fear Cat bared his teeth.

"This should be fun," Vexacus said swinging his sword around in his hand. "I've always wondered who would win between us if I didn't hold back."

"Let me show you!" Goldar roared as he rushed forward, his blade bursting into flames.

"Which one is that?" Olympius asked staring at the visage of Psycho Green.

"That isn't one of ours," Diabolico replied.

"So he's still one of Lord Zedd's?" Loki asked.

Before they could debate further Green sprang forward with a howl of excitement, his sword swinging wildly as he flew at Vypra. Vypra caught his attack, the impact of their weapons exploding in a radiant burst of green light as lightning leapt between the blades.

Olympius stepped in slashing at Green with his pike, but Green dodged and kicked Olympius in the chest. The sudden impact hit Olympius like a comet, instantly flinging him from the roof and through a distant building with the speed of a bullet. The demons were stunned for a moment as Green shrieked with delight at the departure of Olympius.

Zordon cautiously stepped back to observe this abomination. He had seen a few of the other Psycho Rangers, but this one seemed to be modeled after Joshua and that sword he wielded carried a deep sense of foreboding for the wizard, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Loki charged in bringing his axe down on Psycho Green, but the Psycho Ranger caught it with his blade and parried it to the side. Green leapt into the air as if preparing to kick, Loki braced himself, but Green suddenly shifted direction in mid air darting back at Vypra and slashing at her. Vypra dove out of the way as the blade carved through the empty space leaving a faint after glow of green where it had traveled.

Vypra came to her feet and slashed her blade up across Green's chest, but the Psycho caught the blade with his hand as if it were completely dull. Green stared at her for a moment as if he were contemplating something before Loki attacked him again from behind. Green released Vypra's sword and rolled under Loki's attack. Coming up under the demon Green slashed up severing both Loki's arms just below the elbows. Loki stepped back, his arms still clinging to the axe's shaft as Green roared with laughter, black sludge fell from Loki's arms in globules.

Loki screamed in pain as he sought to master the darkness seeping into his mind as arcane forces pressed against him trying to regenerate his limbs. Vypra leapt forward slashing at Green's back. The Psycho Ranger was too preoccupied to turn around. Vypra's blade cut into the back of Green, but no sooner had is made a cut than green tendrils of smoke whipped form Green's body sealing the wound.

Green turned in a flash and punched Vypra in the face exploding her skull in a burst of bone and black ooze. Vypra dropped to the ground as Green turned around looking at the two remaining demons. Diabolico stood back, still regarding the Psycho Ranger with a certain amount of interest. Green took a step toward him and Diabolico raised his staff prepared to defend himself.

Suddenly Vypra leapt onto the Psycho Ranger, her sword against his neck. Her eyes were burning with a brilliant yellow light, her head had regenerated. Green screamed like an upset toddler before grabbing Vypra's head and pulling her over his body. Vypra cut into his neck, but the blade only made a shallow incision before she was thrust into the ground. Vypra cried out as Green slammed her head into the ground repeatedly smashing it to bone fragments and goo. The body sat motionless for a moment, Diabolico sighed knowing the fate she would now suffer.

Loki roared as new arms burst from his stumps in a mess of bone, flesh, and sinew. With a snarl he fell on his knees breathing hard. Loki knew that even with the increase in power he would not be a match for this creature, and should the darkness continue to tax him he would soon slip into its shadowy embrace and be lost until death released him.

Suddenly Vypra's body leapt from the ground as her headless form slashed at Green. The Psycho Ranger laughed with delight as he parried her attack. Taking hold of one of her wings he ripped it from her body. Vypra moved forward as if nothing had happened, attempting to attack Green again. The Psycho Ranger batted her attack away and grabbed Vypra by her shoulder and thrust his blade through her chest, a wild smile spread across his face as her body went limp. The sword glowed dully as it drank in her power. Green released his grasp on her shoulder as the weight of her body pulled her down severing her upper body in half on the razor sharpness of the arcane weapon.

Zordon suddenly realized where he had seen that weapon before. The Savage Sword, a powerful symbiotic weapon forged in the Second War of Kendin. The blade had been created by a master of sorcery using the souls of Shrives, a race of star dwelling creatures that lived solely to consume life energy, growing stronger as they fed off the very essence of a being. Zordon remembered the hunger for life the weapon projected on the wielder; in the hands of a Psycho Ranger it would only be amplified.

Loki rose to his feet and wrenched his weapon from the limp arms that still clung to it. Before he could attack however Olympius dropped onto the roof tucking his wings behind him. His chest plate was dented and black sludge had run down his chin and dribbled onto his armor, but his eyes still burned with the fury of his soul.

"You're going to pay for that," Olympius spat taking no notice of Vypra's destroyed body.

"Wait," Diabolico cautioned, but Olympius had already charged in.

The demon thrust his pike forward attempting to skewer the Psycho Ranger, but Green casually knocked it aside with his blade causing Olympius frustration. Loki moved to help, but Diabolico held him back shaking his head. Diabolico reached forward and scooped some blood from Loki's dismembered arms with two of his fingers and began to inscribe a symbol on his armor as he recited an incantation.

Olympius recovered and slashed at Green's neck with his pike. The Psycho Ranger leaned back as the blade slid under his chin missing his throat before swinging his sword around at Olympius. The demon brought the other end of his weapon around attempting to block Green, but the Savage Sword carved through the pike and cleanly cut Olympius' head from his body, taking the tops of his wings with it; before the body could drop Green struck with his free hand, punching it through Olympius' chest and out his back in a spray of sludge.

Zordon watched as Green hunched down over the body picking at the inside of the demon, seemingly looking for something. Thin streams of energy were visible in the air as Olympius' power was drawn into the sword. Suddenly he noticed that Loki and Diabolico had vanished. Before he could search for their whereabouts Green had taken notice of him. With a cackle Green grabbed Olympius' head and hurled it at Zordon before charging in.

Zordon knocked the head away as Green lunged at him with his sword, swinging madly. Zordon caught the weapon with his staff, blocking Green's strike. With a quick spin he pushed back the Psycho Ranger's blade and struck him in the side with the other end. Green growled as he lashed out again. Zordon ducked under his attack and spun his staff around discharging a blast of fire into Green's chest.

The Psycho Ranger jumped back as flames engulfed him for a moment, wisps of fire jumped from his body as he flew back. Green smiled wide as his arm sprang from his side unleashed a wave of lightning. Zordon blurted out a quick spell causing a barrier to form around his body. The lightning struck, coruscating over the sphere as Zordon strained against the force of the attack. Green began to laugh hysterically as lightning continued to surge from his hand.

Zordon yelled as the barrier shattered and the energy swarmed over his body knocking him across the roof into the low wall around the edge. Green raced over to where Zordon had landed brining his sword back to strike. Zordon jumped to his feet and caught the attack. Green drew back and slashed again as Zordon caused a burst of smoke to explode up from the ground. Green shrieked as his blade carved into the roof. He stepped from the smoke, the white mist rapidly dispersing into the air, looking bewildered. The rooftop was now empty. Green stood still for a moment as if frozen.

Then his eyes caught a glimpse of an object in the skies above, a gear shaped ship. With an agitated shout he hurled his sword into the air at the craft. The blade twirled into the sky ripping through the ship as if it were made of tissue before it arced back to Psycho Green. The ship burst into flames as explosions rippled through the interior of the craft.

"We've been hit!" Gasket shouted.

"By what?!" King Mondo demanded.

"I don't know," Gasket responded. "But it went straight through the core of the ship, we can't sustain flight."

"Then eject," Mondo replied. "We'll finish this on the ground."

The Royal Family dispersed into two of the escape pods on the bridge, the doors sealing as gear parts whirled on the door interlocking to form a single gear before the pods jettisoned to the ground below.

Green watched as two points of light burst from the burning gear. His gaze fixed on one of the pods. With a sudden clap of thunder Green had vanished from the roof.

From the shadows mist began to flow over the roof forming a small pool in the center. Slowly Zordon began to rise from the mist, the mist itself seemingly reconstituting his body. Zordon stared off into the distance. It seemed this Ranger had no real focus; his mind appeared to be completely destroyed; a pitiful slave to the will of the sword.

Zordon suddenly dove away as an axe blade clove through the air hitting the ground where he had been only moments ago. Zordon turned to see Loki and Diabolico step back onto the roof from out of thin air. Then Zordon noticed the dried blood on Diabolico's chest plate.

"That's right," Diabolico smiled as the skull on his staff lit in a blaze of fire. "I broke your binding spell."

Zhane opened fire on the Delta Mega Ship as he came around. His cannons raked over the main body as missiles dotted its surface. The Delta Mega Ship returned fire burning several holes into the Mega Wing's thick armor plating. The two craft passed each other and began coming around again. Zhane suddenly noticed the Delta Mega Ship was transforming into Mega Zord mode. Before Zhane could react the Zord's arms formed and opened fire with its dual Vulcan cannons. Zhane veered off as a small number of shells tore across the underbelly of the ship.

"Cargo bay two has been breeched," Ivann informed him.

"Mega Zord transformation," Zhane ordered.

"Acknowledged," Ivann replied.

The Delta Mega Zord completed its transformation and began to turn in space, its directional thrusters allowing it to move at considerable speeds. With a flash from several gun ports the Delta Mega Zord opened fire on the Mega Wing.

Zhane activated the directional thrusters prematurely and sent the Zord spinning out of the line of fire. Zhane struggled to stabilize the Zord's flight as its transformation completed. Forming the Zord's Gun-Blade Zhane opened fire on the Delta Mega Zord as the Mega Wing halted in a stable position. The Delta Mega Zord quickly slid to the side evading Zhane's attack before opening fire with its Vulcan cannons again.

Zhane rocketed up as he fired off several shots from his blade. The Delta Mega Zord once again shifted to the side. Zhane opened fire again, leading the Delta Mega Zord. The Zord tried to stop, but was unable to and was stuck in the chest and shoulder scoring the armor's surface.

Before the Delta Mega Zord could lock on to him, Zhane dove downward, as expected his enemy followed. Zhane broke to the left as the Vulcan cannons once again opened up sending streaks of heated metal through the void. With a careful burst from his jets Zhane spun the Mega Wing around, moving it above the Mega Zord, and opened fire on the Delta Mega Zord's back; the shots ripped through the armor tearing up the main drive.

The Delta Mega Zord turned trying to bring its weapons to bear, but with its reduced speed Zhane easily out maneuvered the Zord and targeted the left knee joint. With several bursts of energy the weak armor around the joint was torn apart setting the leg adrift in space. With the leg gone the Zord had now lost over half of its propulsion systems and could not achieve stable flight.

Zhane paused for a moment watching the Delta Mega Zord drift helplessly through the void. With a sigh he disengaged the safeties on the Gun-Blade and pulled the trigger. A hail of shots ripped from the Mega Wing's weapon riddling the Delta Mega Zord with holes as the body crumpled and twisted in space, the heat gauge on the main console climbing into the red zone. With a final volley of shots the chest burst into flames before the Zord exploded in a violent mini-nova. Zhane released the trigger, the emergency heat sinks deploying as heat was vented from the Mega Wing.

"Ivann, revert to vehicle mode and take us down to join the others," Zhane ordered.

"Commands acknowledged." Ivann replied.

Suddenly the alarms began to sound.

"Intruder alert," Ivann reported.

"Where?" Zhane demanded.

"Cargo bay two,"

"Show me,"

The screen came to life displaying an image of the cargo bay. Zhane only caught a glimpse of a dark figure before a haze of blue sparks crackled over the surface of their armor and they vanished.

"I'm going down there," Zhane said. "Inform Andros that we have a phantom on board."

"Acknowledged,"

Zhane rose from his seat and entered the lift at the back of the cockpit as the Zord began to revert back to its vehicle form.

"Transmission from Zhane," Deca reported.

"What is it?" Andros asked as the Astro Mega Zord stepped out from cover firing a shot into the chest of one of the drones.

The Mega Zord moved back into cover as the return fire ripped up the diminishing barrier. Suddenly the drone's head sparked and exploded, the form of a midnight blue Mega Zord becoming visible for a mere moment as it pulled its bladed fist from the back of the drone's head before fading away. Trip leapt into the air as the drones fired a spread of shots into his last known location tearing into each other's armor.

"It seems that Aisha is currently aboard the Mega Wing." Deca replied.

Andros could see Rocky and Shawna glance at each other from their stations.

"Go," he said. "Take the gliders, just be careful."

Shawna and Rocky both nodded and jumped from their seats quickly exiting the bridge.

"Looks like it's just the two of us now Deca," Andros replied.

Kimberly and Josh stood on the southern edge of the crater looking up at Zedd's Palace. Below they could see the destruction in the streets. Hundreds of bodies littered the pathway into the crater. To the west were hundred of vile creatures marching toward their position. Their footfalls echoed through the otherwise empty streets and the ground shook. Behind them more undead were advancing toward the main palace gate to the east.

"I think we're going to have to jump it," Josh said looking around. "Anything else is going to take too long."

"I can't make it that far," Kimberly said as the display in her HUD showed the distance to be roughly half a mile.

Josh suddenly stepped in front of Kimberly as a fireball flew from around a corner. Josh struck it with his fist dispersing the attack into the air. More demons like those he had faced in Kazakhstan came storming around the corner hurling fireballs. With a clap of his hand Josh sent a blast of air toward the demons extinguishing their attacks and causing them to pause for a moment.

"No choice now," Josh said scooping Kimberly up in his arms.

Kimberly knew under her helmet she was blushing and was glad that her face was hidden. Josh's knees bent slightly then with a crack as the sound barrier shattered they were accelerated from the ledge toward the palace. Kimberly screamed as she felt her stomach drop at the abrupt acceleration.

A blaze of green light suddenly surrounded them as they smashed through the side of the fortress into a narrow corridor. Josh let Kimberly down slowly as he scanned the hallways.

"We should get moving," Josh said. "I'm sure someone heard that."

"Right," Kimberly replied with a nod.

Blue stood back for a moment relishing the pain Billy was in, even if it was only a minor injury. After a moment Blue decided he was wasting too much time and raced toward Billy. As he approached he leapt into the air executing a jump kick. His foot caught Billy under the chin and knocked him up into the air. As Billy sailed backward Blue landed just passed where Billy had been standing and pulled his blaster, with precise aim Blue put a single shot into each one of Billy's legs moments before he hit the ground.

Billy crashed into the rubble that covered the ground groaning as the plasma bolts burned his armor and seared the skin beneath. Blue stepped in and plunged his lance through Billy right leg, the weapon piercing through the charred armor into the unprotected flesh. Billy screamed in agony as blood began to seep up through his leg and flowed down his armor like a crimson stream. Billy took hold of Blue's lance with both hands and kicked at Blue with his good leg. Blue backed away pulling his lance from Billy's leg. Blue smiled as Billy used his lance to try to pull himself away from the Psycho Ranger; struggling desperately to stand.

"Face it," Blue mocked twirling his lance around. "You've already lost, why even try?"

Billy ignored Blue and finished pulling himself to his feet careful to keep his weight off his right leg. He knew there was a good chance Blue was right, he was out of options, his leg would heal in his morphed state, but it would take time, and that was not something he had at the moment.

"It's not over yet," another voice called out as a dark figure dropped from the building above slamming a hard kick into Blue's head.

The Psycho Ranger tumbled to the ground, his helmet cracked on the right where he had been struck. Trey stood between Billy and Blue, his staff extended to its full length.

"You okay Billy?" Trey asked.

"I will be in a minute," Billy replied already feeling the strength returning to his leg as the armor began sealing up, forming a thin layer of plating over the wound closing it up.

"Why does someone always have to interfere?!" Blue cursed as he lashed out with his lance.

Trey caught the strike with his own staff and flipped Blue's strike up as he threw another roundhouse cracking the other side of Blue's visor.

"You should have kept the Savage Sword for yourself," the voice said. "Without the additional power you drew from Dark Specter you have gotten weaker."

"Just shut up!" Blue shouted as he threw a reverse spinning crescent kick.

Trey flipped to the ground as Blue's heel slammed into his head. As he fell Billy pulled his Blade-Blaster and fired several shots over Trey into Blue's chest. To his surprise Blue staggered back as the shots impacted, burning small holes in the Psycho Ranger's armor. Blue screamed in frustration as he pulled his own blaster, but before he could fire Trey reached up from the ground and struck the weapon with his staff, knocking it from Blue's hand.

Billy holstered his own blaster and rushed forward, his leg burned as his damaged muscles pumped, but it was tolerable. Leaping over Trey as the Gold Ranger returned to his feet Billy slammed his lance into the side of Blue's head shattering his visor in a spray of translucent black fragments. As Billy landed he threw a hard side kick into Blue's chest with his left leg. Billy felt the pain in his leg flare as all his weight shifted on to it, the pain flashing again as his foot struck Blue's chest. The Psycho Ranger reeled back nearly falling over as he struggled to keep his balance. Billy looked passed the shattered visor to find two shimmering pools of blue staring back at him.

"What are you?" Billy asked.

"I was human," Blue replied, hoping to keep them distracted long enough to formulate a new plan. "I still am, mostly,"

"You were never human," Trey replied. "You've always been a monster," Trey said firing a burst of shimmering orbs from the head of his staff.

As the ionic plasma raced at Blue the Psycho Ranger cursed his lack of eyelids. With a series of flashes the orbs detonated blinding Blue for a moment. The spots quickly began to fade as Blue could make out the Blue Ranger raising his Blade-Blaster, before Blue realized what was happening a bolt of plasma burst through the broken visor and bored through his skull. Blue was knocked over backward as the bolt discharged through his head detonating at the back of the helmet as it failed to pierce the armor. As the Psycho Ranger hit the ground flames leap from the opening as his necrotized flesh was burned up.

Trey and Billy stepped over the body as the Psycho Ranger's morph failed in an explosion of sapphire shards of light. Billy looked over the rotted flesh and metal patch work Blue had running over his burning face and chest. Opening the robe over Blue's chest Billy discovered a black object grafted into the rib cage. A small stone blazed with an intense light as blue as the sky.

"What is it?" Trey asked.

"I think this is his Morpher," Billy replied as he ripped the device free from the body.

Trey looked at him with a modicum of disgust.

"Can't leave it here for someone else to find," Billy replied. "Come on, we've still got three more of these things to kill."

The two turned and walked away as the flames continued to spread over Blue's body consuming the rest of the Psycho Ranger's body.

Black jumped to his feet as Adam dropped to the ground. Adam rolled over and pushed himself up on his hands and knees as fragments from his visor fell from the open hole onto the ground. Adam was trying to focus but all he could see was a blur of blacks and grays on the ground in front of him. His hands where little more than fuzzy blurs of tarnished white. Still he had to fight; he couldn't afford to let Black know he was nearly blind. If he could hold him for a few minutes the armor's regenerative abilities should help him get back some of his vision.

Adam rose to his feet clutching his axe as he fixed his eyes on Black. The Psycho Ranger was little more than a slightly lighter patch of black among the darkness before him. His limbs were blurred into a single blob. Adam hefted his axe up and flipped it around firing a shot back at Black. The attack missed as Black dodge, his form vanishing as it moved.

Adam looked around trying to discern his location when suddenly something struck him in the head. Adam was thrown to the ground as Black came down on him with a flying roundhouse. Adam rolled along the ground for a moment to gain some distance before jumping to his feet.

Black rushed in slashing with his axe, Adam jumped back avoiding the strike before lashing out with his own weapon. Black caught the strike as it flew at his arm. Before he could act Adam threw a side kick into the left side of his stomach knocking him back.

Black held his position for a moment watching Adam. His focus didn't seem to be directly on him, and there had been a less precise nature to his attacks. Black grinned as he began to understand what was going on.

Quietly Black moved off to the side of Adam, the Ranger seemingly unaware of his movements. With a sudden burst from his axe Black shot Adam in the knee, buckling his leg and causing him to drop to the ground.

As Adam fell he knew Black was aware of his handicap, the Psycho Ranger was playing with him now, and unless he could get his sight back he would be in trouble.

Ashley faced off with Yellow as the two circled around one another. Ashley was unsure how she was going to defeat her if she could simply regenerate. She needed think of something though, there had to be someway to overcome her abilities.

"What's wrong cupcake? Lose your nerve?" Yellow asked racing at her.

Yellow slashed at Ashley's throat with her first strike, which Ashley quickly evaded before she caught Yellow's next strike to her chest. Ashley slammed her knee into Yellow's abdomen before slashing at her neck. Yellow made no attempt to block the strike as a spray of ash flew from the wound only to be drawn back in wisps as the gash in the armor sealed.

Yellow unleashed a roundhouse knocking Ashley back before she hurled one of her daggers at the Yellow Ranger. Ashley twisted to avoid it, the blade only grazing her right arm. Ashley dropped her dagger and drew her blaster putting two shots into Yellow's chest as Yellow hurled her other dagger at Ashley. The twin shots hit Yellow's chest burning holes into the armor as she lurched back. Ashley was hit in the chest with the dagger just below her left shoulder. Reeling from the sudden pain she squeezed off another shot that hit Yellow in the helmet warping her visor as the plasma bolt burned into the armor partially melting it.

Dropping her other dagger Ashley shifted the blaster to her left hand and pulled the dagger from her chest with the right as she fired off several more shots. The bolts hit one after the other burning holes into Yellow's chest. The Psycho Ranger tumbled back as ash continued to stream from the holes.

Ashley began to walk forward continuing to fire shots into the Psycho Ranger's chest. As she drew closer Yellow suddenly threw a roundhouse knocking the gun from Ashley's hand followed by a reverse roundhouse that knocked her to the ground.

Yellow reached out her hands and summoned her daggers back to her. Ashley watched as Yellow's wounds closed up. Ashley struck the ground with her hand as she pulled herself to her feet.

"We can do this all day if you want," Yellow said. "I'm actually enjoying this."

Ashley leapt to her feet upper cutting the Psycho Ranger. Yellow's head jerked back, a crack rang out as the helmet slammed into the armored collar. Yellow suddenly lunged forward smashing her helmet into Ashley's face cracking her visor in several places before throwing a right hook into Ashley's jaw sending her to the ground. Yellow kicked her hard in the side as her body lurched up from the force of the impact.

Ashley rolled to the side, her arms wrapped around her body as she struggled to breathe. She looked behind her to see her daggers lying side by side on the ground a few feet behind her. Yellow was still standing above her watching her squirm in agony. Ashley reached out trying to grab one of her daggers, but Yellow threw another kick into her side knocking her back. Ashley hit the ground only inches from her weapons, but before she could reach them Yellow stepped over her body and kicked them aside.

The Psycho Ranger took both of her own daggers in a single hand and reached down and grabbed Ashley by her neck lifting her up off the ground. Psycho Yellow stared into her shattered visor for a moment seeing a tangled, broken reflection of herself before she hurled Ashley into a pile of rubble. Ashley hit the debris with a soft cry before she curled into a ball and rolled to the base of the pile.

"Where's all your fight now?" Yellow asked spinning her daggers in her hands as she walked toward her.

Ashley struggled to move, but her body refused.

"Get up, fight," she hissed through her clenched teeth.

Suddenly, spurred by her determination, Ashley's leg swept out knocking Yellow off her feet. As Yellow tumbled to the ground Ashley pulled herself up and fell on Yellow, straddling her stomach Ashley began to slam her fists over and over into Yellow's head. The first strike cracked the helmet down the right side, then the left side. Each progressive hit widened the cracks and spread new ones.

Yellow tried to attack with her daggers, but Ashley slammed her forearms into Yellow's hands knocking the daggers from her grip. With a scream of fury Ashley slammed her fist into the front of Yellow's cracked helmet shattering it as her fist smashed through the Psycho Ranger's head sending a spray of ash out in a cloud of dust. Yellow's body went limp as Ashley looked at the remnants of helmet and the ashy powder that rested in it.

With a deep breath Ashley pulled herself to her feet and walked back toward her daggers picking them up from the ground. Suddenly there was a burst of psychotic laughter from behind her. She turned to see Yellow's body rising to its feet as an ashen cloud swirled around it reforming the head.

"Why won't you just die!" Ashley screamed in defiance.

Yellow took a step toward Ashley as her helmet began to reform around her head. Suddenly Trey and Billy rushed in both swinging their staffs into Yellow's back like bats. The Psycho Ranger was knocked onto her face as Billy and Trey ran passed her to join Ashley.

"Are you okay?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Ashley replied. "But this thing won't die, she's made of dust or something, but when you hurt her she just pulls herself together again."

"I might have an idea," Billy said.

"Three to one hardly seems fair," Yellow said coming to her feet and firing off several shots from her blaster.

Ashley was struck in the shoulder and Billy took a shot to the chest as the spray of plasma bolts flew passed them. Trey was saved by his shield as two plasma bolts were deflected into the air.

Billy pulled his Blade-Blaster and fired several shots into Yellow's chest just below her sternum.

"That won't help," Ashley said.

"Just trust me," Billy said. "Aim for her solar plexus."

Ashley wasn't sure what Billy was trying to accomplish, but she pulled her blaster and fired into Yellow's armor. Ripples formed in the black surface as the plasma burned into the armor. Yellow staggered as multiple shots pierced her armor melting holes through the black plate. As another shot hit, a bright yellow light suddenly burst out illuminating the shadowy landscape.

"Trey, hit the Morpher!" Billy shouted. "Destroy it!"

Trey rushed in taking a swing at Yellow with his staff. Yellow blocked his blade with her own daggers, but Trey spun his staff around and struck her in the head sending her to ground. Trey moved over her slamming his foot down onto her chest before he plunged the bladed end of his staff down into her Morpher. The tip of the blade pierced the small jewel in the device shattering it as the Morpher was cut in half. A powerful wave of energy was discharged and Trey was thrown back as Yellow's body exploded in a thundering explosion of amber light veiled in a white cloud.

Trey pulled himself from the ground looking up as ash began to rain from the sky lightly coating the ground around them. Ashley and Billy looked around cautiously as the dust in the air settled to the ground.

"Do you think that did it?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "But with her Morpher destroyed she won't be a huge threat anymore."

"Hey guys, over here." Trey called.

"What is it?" Billy asked as he and Ashley ran over to where Trey was standing.

"Look," Trey said pointing down at the ground.

Lying on the ground was a small pile of burning cinders glowing faintly. Ashley watched as the dust began to swirl across the ground moving toward the glowing coals. With a frustrated shout Ashley stomped on the pile and ground it to dust under her boot. As she scrapped her foot across the ground a few tiny embers twirled in the air before fading to black.

"I think she's dead now," Billy said.

"Then we should find the others," Trey said. "We still might have two more of these things to take down."

The three Rangers turned and headed off as the dust and ash swirled lifelessly in the passing wind.

Jason swung his arm out sending a blazing red shuriken at Red. The Psycho Ranger blocked with his sword splitting the ethereal blade as the pieces flew to his side and dissipated. Jason charged forward releasing a blast of force from his palm that impacted against Red's chest. The Psycho Ranger leaned forward placing one hand on the ground as he skidded back. Jason came down on Psycho Red with his flaming blade, but Red was quick to block holding Jason's sword back as the two blades grinded against one another.

"I'm not going to hold back like I did last time," Red snarled.

"Good," Jason replied. "Because neither am I!"

Three blades projected from Jason's other hand as he slammed his arm forward spearing Red through the chest. The points tore through the armor and out the back sending a spray of blackened ooze into the air. Jason twisted his arm cutting the wound into a circle before jerking his hand back; the armored cylinder of flesh fell to the ground at Red's feet.

Red clutched his chest and stepped back. Jason raised his hand as another force burst struck Red in the chest throwing him back into the side of a building. The wall exploded as Red hit it sending debris raining down on his body as black dust thickened the air. Jason stood back waiting for the dust to clear. Red slowly dragged himself from the rubble, the hole in his armor closing up.

"It seems I underestimated you Red Ranger," Red said coming to his feet. "I won't make that mistake again."

Red jumped forward spinning in the air, as he landed the ground shook and the skies echoed in a clap of thunder as a burst of jagged red energy streaked from Red's body and wound around Jason encompassing him in a spinning vortex. All around him blasts of energy began firing from the wall. Jason turned quickly trying to block the attacks as he saw them, but they were too numerous. Bolts struck all over his body burning pockmarks in his armor as others bounced off his golden shield.

Then the storm ceased as suddenly as it had started. The torrent of energy vanished into the air. Jason fell to a knee as smoke drifted up in wisps from his armor. As he looked up he saw the form of Psycho Red already on top of him. Red hit Jason in the face with a knee strike knocking the Red Ranger back and sending him skidding over the ground.

Jason caught himself with his hands and flipped up into the air as Red launched twin fireballs from his hands. The burning spheres flew under Jason as the Red Ranger came back down and unleashed a barrage of shurikens. Red was unprepared for the attack and brought his arms up shielding himself as the red blades exploded in plumes of crimson flames all around him shredding the front of his armor.

Red raced forward leaping over the flames, his armor sealing rapidly. He twisted sideways slamming two kicks into Jason's head. Jason fell forward smashing his face into the ground, a small crack forming in his visor.

As Red landed Jason pushed himself up on his hands and swung his body around knocking Red over with his legs. Springing up quickly Jason brought his sword down with both hands, but Red brought his blade up blocking with the flat of his blade as he braced his hand against the other side. The Psycho Ranger shoved his foot into Jason's stomach and flipped him over his head as he rolled up on his own feet. Red turned to face Jason who had just landed. Red and Jason both raised their swords and with a shout charged toward one another.

There was an explosion of fire as Goldar's blade met Vexacus'. Streams of flame rained down on the roof setting the roof ablaze as the arcane fire began consuming the hardened brickwork. Vexacus grimaced at the inconvenience and leapt back breaking his lock with Goldar.

The Fear Cat lashed out with his sword sending a jet of fire at the mercenary. Vexacus flipped to the side and hurled a ball of energy back at Goldar. Goldar brought his sword back as the stream of fire ceased and batted the attack away, the burning orb exploding on the roof behind him. As the tower of flames erupted shrouding Goldar's face in shadow he rushed at Vexacus, his sword drawn back as he approached.

Vexacus fell back and caught the sword as he braced himself to bare the weight of Goldar's attack. With swift precision Vexacus released a hand from his sword and pulled his dagger slashing at Goldar, nearly as fast however Goldar released his grip on his sword and caught Vexacus' hand and wrenched it back. Goldar felt his shoulder ache as he pulled Vexacus' arm back, apparently the wounds Rito had inflicted had not healed.

Goldar pushed Vexacus' sword aside and threw a side kick into his chest sending him back, the mercenary sheathed his dagger as he regained his balance. Goldar closed in quickly slashing at Vexacus who raised his sword to block. Goldar pushed forward attempting to knee Vexacus in the chest, but Vexacus quickly sidestepped the let Goldar's momentum carry him passed him. Vexacus slashed at Goldar's unprotected back, but Goldar agilely spun and dropped to a knee catching Vexacus' strike before springing to his feet sending the mercenary reeling back. Goldar swung furiously cutting into Vexacus' chest, a deep blue liquid seeped from the wound.

Vexacus ignored the pain and thrust his sword forward, the serrated teeth biting through the golden armor on Goldar's chest and sinking shallowly into the Fear Cat's flesh. Goldar snarled as he grabbed the back of Vexacus' blade and pulled it from his chest, his crimson blood dripping from the tips of the teeth. Goldar pushed the blade aside and stepped forward cleaving down with his sword. Vexacus pulled his dagger once again and managed to block Goldar's strike.

Goldar jumped back as Vexacus brought his sword back in a wild slash, the bloodied teeth narrowly missing him. Goldar hurled a fireball with his free hand, but Vexacus spun back ducking under it and threw his dagger at Goldar. The blade flew straight through the air like a dart and pierced Goldar's stomach. The Fear Cat winced before pulling the blade from his gut and tossing it aside.

With a roar Goldar raced forward and swung at Vexacus attempting to take his head, but Vexacus slammed his sword into the roof as Goldar's blade clanged against it sending small streaks of fire flying passed Vexacus' face. Vexacus lunged forward throwing a hard punch into Goldar's jaw. The Fear Cat took the hit and rolled with it before coming back with a right elbow to Vexacus' face. Vexacus' bionic eye shattered as Goldar's armored joint slammed into it knocking him to the ground.

As Vexacus rose to his feet the battered eye sparked as the delicate servos ground against one another. Goldar charged forward slashing with his sword, but Vexacus dove under it and came up behind Goldar and pulled his blade from the roof. Goldar turned quickly lashing out with his sword in one hand. Vexacus caught his blade and parried it aside before throwing a roundhouse into his back. Goldar staggered forward regaining his balance and turned swiftly sending another burst of flames from his sword. Vexacus leapt into the air spinning as he tired to evade, but the flames caught his robes, setting them ablaze. As he landed Vexacus tore his robes from his armor and cast the burning material aside.

Goldar had already charged in again and was on top of him. The Fear Cat slashed at Vexacus, the mercenary only able to deflect the blade as it cut into his arm. Sizzling blue blood splattered onto the roof as the sword ripped from Vexacus' flesh. Vexacus stepped back holding his arm. Both warriors were breathing hard, clearly taxed by this fight, but Vexacus knew Goldar would not break so easily.

Not one to lose his momentum Goldar attacked again with a furious strike. Vexacus blocked, but Goldar swept his sword around and knocked Vexacus' blade up before spinning his blade under Vexacus' guard and striking his sword from above, slamming it into the roof. Then pulling his weapon back Goldar thrust his blade into Vexacus' chest.

Vexacus coughed as the blade sunk into his flesh searing one of his lungs. Goldar stepped back drawing the sword from the mercenary's chest, Vexacus' blood hissed as it cooked off the blade. Goldar smiled as Vexacus hunched over coughing violently. He stepped in and slashed at the wounded warrior cutting another slash across his chest. Vexacus dropped to a knee struggling to compose himself. Goldar drew his sword back preparing to decapitate his adversary. As he swung his sword Vexacus bowed forward, the blade rushing over his body. He swiftly somersaulted forward and slammed his foot up into Goldar's pelvis, Goldar doubled over and stepped back as Vexacus came to his feet bringing his sword up in a furious slash that cut deep into Goldar's chest. The Fear Cat stumbled back as the jagged teeth ripped flesh and tufts of hair out in a spray of blood.

Goldar unfurled his wings and used them to catch himself on the roof. As the thin, but powerful fingers caught on the roof Goldar shoved himself forward at Vexacus, his sword outstretched. With a savage roar Goldar rammed his blade through Vexacus' neck, the flaming blade bursting through the back of his spine. Goldar jerked his sword back, the fire extinguishing, though the blade still glowed red. Vexacus' head slumped to the side as he collapsed on the roof.

Goldar dropped to a knee. He pressed his glowing blade against the wound in his chest cauterizing the wound. He roared as the hot metal burned his skin and singeing fur, giving off a pungent aroma. Removing the blade Goldar inhaled finding that while Vexacus' final attack had carved into his bones his lungs were undamaged.

A little dizzy Goldar staggered to his feet, his sword vanishing into a burst of flames. With a flap of his wings the Fear Cat shot into the sky heading back toward the palace.

Repairs complete. The words flashed on Ecliptor's visual display as the world around him slowly came back into focus. Gradually Ecliptor could feel his systems coming online. As his motor systems rebooted he pushed himself up from the roof. Darkonda's body still lay next to him, his sword still imbedded in his skull. Ecliptor took hold of his sword and pulled himself to his feet before wrenching the blade from his fallen nemesis.

Looking around Ecliptor suddenly caught sight of an acorn shaped object falling to the ground to the west of his position. Through his enhanced visual mode he could see the object was more like a drill with a gear ringed around it. It was a Machine Empire escape pod.

He tracked the object as it landed with a hard impact less than one hundred meters from his position. Ecliptor looked down into the streets, the armies that had once flooded them had moved on leaving an eerie quietness. Dropping down to the streets Ecliptor sprinted toward the impact site. Coming to the corner of a building he could see light streaked over the ground. Pressing his back to the wall he peered around the building.

The pod had bored into the ground and a mesh of interlocking parts was unlocking. As the door finished disengaging there was a hiss of air as the pressure on both sides was equalized. The doors slid open as two Cogs stepped out followed by King Mondo and Queen Machina.

Ecliptor stepped out from behind the corner of the building with his sword drawn.

"That's as far as you go," he said.

The Cogs immediately fired a burst of energy from their eyes, but Ecliptor quickly stepped aside and sent two bolts of energy from his palm burning holes through the Cogs' chests; the machines spasmed and collapsed.

"You!" King Mondo said; his tone full of disgust.

"Drop your weapons and surrender," Ecliptor said.

"I will never surrender to a traitor like you." Mondo replied as he leveled his staff at Ecliptor.

Queen Machina stepped back into the craft as the two machines faced off against each other.

"You betrayed us," Ecliptor replied. "You left us to perish on that forsaken world!"

"It was all for the good of the empire. We would have all perished if not for you and your fellow warriors."

"No, it was for your own selfish gain. I might have bought into your rhetoric then, but things are very different now. Now lay down your weapons or I will be forced to destroy you."

"If you are determined to fight your King, then I will be happy to send you to oblivion!"

"You are not my king," Ecliptor replied. "And soon you will not be anyone's king."

With those final words Ecliptor raised his sword and charged forward.

Diabolico's staff exploded in flames as the rooftop was engulfed, sealing Zordon along with himself and Loki in a barrier of raging fire.

"Let us see how you fair when you are the one who is limited," Diabolico smiled.

"My power is greater than you realize demon," Zordon replied as he spun his staff around and stuck the head against the ground. A strong wind reared up dispersing the field of fire.

"How?" Diabolico questioned.

"It seems there is still much you do not understand," Zordon replied.

Loki charged forward swinging his axe at the wizard, but Zordon stepped aside as the axe buried itself in the roof. Zordon thrust his staff forward into Loki's chest engulfing the demon in flames as he was thrown back off the roof.

Diabolico glared at the wizard as Zordon waited for the demon to make his move. Diabolico slammed his staff down on the roof as the surface exploded up in a torrent of jagged stone spears. Zordon leapt up and spun his staff smashing the attacks that came at him before both dropped down to the next floor of the building.

As they landed Zordon moved his staff in a series of jagged lines before pointing it at Diabolico. Immediately the walls around Diabolico leapt from the frame of the building and slammed together. Diabolico took flight, rising above the walls as they exploded in a spray of rubble.

From his position above Diabolico unleashed a powerful attack as the mouth on his armor sprayed a stream of radiant energy. Zordon twirled his arms around and curled them in front of his chest as if he were holding a large orb. The attack passed through his arms and vanished. Diabolico held his ground, puzzled for a moment.

Then Zordon spread his hands as small vortexes materialized all around Diabolico. Before the demon could react his energy was redirected at him from several angles as the gaps released his attack back upon him.

Diabolico's armor sparked and burned as parts of it were reduced to molten slag under the stress of the attack. A blast burned a hole through his right wing casting him to the ground. As he hit the floor Loki smashed through the floor causing the building to shake, his monstrous black form coming between Diabolico and Zordon. His body was still smoking from the flames and parts of his flesh were white with ash.

With a roar Loki flapped his wings sending a heavy gale forward. Zordon braced himself as the wind whipped around him stirring up a heavy cloud of debris. Suddenly the cloud parted as Loki's axe blade came down on him. Zordon lifted his staff to block, only to have a fist burst through the dust cloud slamming into his chest. Zordon flew back and struck the wall as Diabolico raised his staff from his kneeling position sending a hail of burning stone hurtling at the wizard.

Zordon dropped to the ground and slammed his palms together as he recited a brief incantation. A sphere of water surrounded the White Ranger as the stones hit blasting the orb apart in a storm of steam leaving nothing in its wake.

"Did you get him?" Loki asked.

"I doubt it," Diabolico said pulling himself up on his staff looking at the heavy mist in the room. "We saw this trick earlier."

A spark sporadically ignited in the mist causing the room to erupt into flames. Loki and Diabolico both drew their wings up shielding their faces as the walls of the building blew out and the floor below gave way. Diabolico and Loki crashed into the next level as the flames coalesced into a single point and Zordon stepped out of the fire.

Before either of them could move Zordon inscribed a strange symbol on the floor and plunged his staff into it. A vortex opened as the White Ranger stepped back.

"What is that?" Loki asked as a sense of terror seemed to wash over him.

"It is a gate to the Shadow Realm," Zordon replied pointing his staff at the demon.

In a flash Zordon had moved around the vortex and the demon, slamming his staff into Loki's back causing him to stagger forward toward the abyss. Loki turned and slashed with his axe in a wide arc, but Zordon firmly planted his staff catching the weapon as if the demon's immense strength was nothing. Diabolico rose to his feet and launched a fireball from his staff at Zordon, but the wizard was aware of Diabolico's actions and sank into the floor as the burning sphere burst against Loki's chest knocking him back.

"No!" Diabolico shouted as Loki fell back into the expanding vortex, disappearing below the horizon.

Zordon silently rose from the floor behind Diabolico. Catching Zordon by surprise Diabolico turned and smashed his arm into the White Ranger's side sending him flying back.

"You may be silent, but you are very predictable," Diabolico said.

"I know," a voice came from behind Diabolico.

The demon turned in shock only to be struck by another White Ranger, sending him flying across the room. Diabolico sailed over the vortex and hit the far wall finding he only had a small ledge to stand on before the floor vanished into shadow. The White Ranger Diabolico had hit vanished in a haze.

"Very clever," Diabolico grimaced as he struggled.

"It's over," Zordon said.

"Not yet," Diabolico began. "I'm still…"

Before Diabolico could finish his sentence Zordon knocked his staff on the ground. The wall behind the demon suddenly jutted forward slamming him forward and into the vortex. As the demon fell screaming in the darkness below Zordon tapped the base of his staff on the ground sealing the vortex once again.

Suddenly Zordon could hear clapping from above, he spun and looked up.

"Bravo," Master Vile said as he stood on the ledge of the previous floor. "You've saved me a great deal of trouble." He said jumping down to the ground floor. "Now allow me to show you how a real warlock fights."

Master Vile raised his staff into the air before slamming the base down onto the ground.

Gasket emerged from the escape pod behind his Cog body guard; his sword was already in his hand. Behind him Archerina moved up sweeping her bow left to right checking for targets.

"Seems we landed in a deserted area of the city," Gasket said looking around. "We should move to join up with the rest of our ground forces."

"It looks like there is a large force moving to the east," Archerina replied pointing down a dark maze of streets.

"Cogs, lead the way," Gasket ordered.

The mechanical drones began to move forward toward the other ground forces. Gasket and Archerina continued to scan the pathway and the rooftops ahead of them for any sign of stand alone units from Zedd's army. Gasket paused as he heard a noise drift on the wind.

"What is it?" Archerina asked.

"Did you hear that?" Gasket asked.

"The wind?" she asked.

"It wasn't just wind, there was a voice; I thought I heard the word 'shiny'."

"We're missing a Cog!" Archerina exclaimed in shock.

Gasket's head whipped back. Only one Cog remained, the other had vanished.

"Cog," Gasket called. The machine halted waiting for orders. "Where is unit six-gamma-nine-bravo-three-sigma-zeta-eight-one-six-lambda-five?"

The Cog responded in a series of binary tones.

"I know he's not here, what happened to the unit?"

The Cog uttered a simple string, 'unknown'.

"We're not alone out here," Gasket said raising his sword and looking around. "Cog defensive stance." There was no response. "Cog!" Gasket bellowed turning toward the machine.

The Cog stood motionless with its back to Gasket. The Prince advanced on the machine and placed his hand on the shoulder. As he touched it the head rolled from the neck and fell to the ground. Archerina uttered a startled sound.

"Where are you coward?!" Gasket challenged spreading his arms as he turned in place trying to catch sight of their stalker.

"There!" Archerina shouted as she fired off a shot from her bow.

Gasket turned in time to see her shot bounce of a ledge on the roof above, but could see no sign of the assailant.

"What was it?" he asked.

"I'm not su…" Archerina's sentence was abruptly cut off.

Gasket turned to see a hideous creature holding her body. Mangled circuitry hung from the back of her head and her frame had been cut clean at the base of the torso. The monster had jammed his arm up into her chest and was trying to manipulate the internal mechanisms. Psycho Green smiled wide as he found the mechanism to control Archerina's neck turning her head toward himself and then back at Gasket.

"How dare you!" Gasket roared as he stepped in thrusting his rapier toward Green's chest.

The Psycho Ranger immediately dropped the body and swung his gigantic blade cutting Gasket into several pieces without so much as a hint of effort. As Gasket's body fell to the ground in pieces Green grabbed the upper half of Archerina's body and resumed playing with the various mechanisms. He cackled hysterically as he found a servo that made the mouth move.

Andros fell back against another building as heavy fire burst through the empty street. In the skies above Velocifighters and Quadrafighters battled for air supremacy and on the ground below Cogs marched forward on foot and in their walkers under the cover of the drones.

Whatever the situation in space had become it was clear that the Machine Empire had seen fit to heavily reinforce their armies on the ground. The tides of mechanical warriors had driven the three of them back from the city's border and were now pushing them back toward the palace. The Reapers had long since been destroyed leaving Zedd's forces outgunned. In response Velocifighters had been refitted to carry bombs; their bombing runs reducing entire city blocks to flaming wreckage.

The Q-Rex darted between two buildings taking only a brief pause to fire a burst from its cannons into another of the drones. The shots scored a direct hit at the base of the walker's head and sent the behemoth plummeting to the ground crushing Cogs and Quadrawalkers beneath its girth.

"Good shot Tommy." Trip congratulated.

"Thanks," Tommy replied. "But we're going to run out of room to fall back to soon and our Zords can't take too much more punishment."

The Time Shadow suddenly appeared again in a flash as it speared another drone in the head and unleashed a salvo of rockets into the horde of machines below sending flaming scrap into the air. Still the machines continued to advance climbing over the charred scraps of their forerunners.

Trip's Zord was the only one of the three that was nearly undamaged. Aside from a few stray shots the Time Shadow was relatively unscathed. The Q-Rex and Astro Mega Zord had faired far worse. The armor was smashed and twisted from the constant bombardment they were receiving from both the drones and the bombing runs. Still, both had managed to avoid any serious damage to their internal components.

Andros rolled out into the street and fired another shot from his rifle, blasting a section of armor off the chest of another drone. He dove to the side as the hail of return fire began. The Astro Mega Zord took several shots to the foot tearing up actuators and armor. Andros tried to come to his feet, but the Zord swayed threatening to topple over. Andros reached out and steadied himself on the building.

"I think my Zord's at the end of the line." Andros said.

"Are you okay?" Trip asked.

"Yeah," Andros replied. "But I lost a good portion of my mobility, next time I move to fire I won't be able to escape. Can you create a distraction for me? I want this last volley to count."

"I'm on it," Tommy replied.

Q-Rex made a dash down a cross street parallel to the frontline of the advancing forces firing between buildings at every opportunity. As he ran passed Andros' position the Astro Mega Zord stepped into the open thrusting its damaged leg down hard, planting it into the ground. Andros brought the rifle up and disengaged the safeties.

"Deca?"

"Yes Andros?"

"It's been good working with you," Andros said as he pulled in on the trigger.

The Astro Mega Zord opened fire putting a round through the first drone's head, sending it to the ground in a ball of flames. As the next drone in line clawed its way over the body Andros fired two shots into the chest as a spread of rockets smashed into the front of his Zord tearing into the internal compartments. Deca began running down the list of damage but Andros ignored it and fired again putting a shot into the locomotion node blasting several legs from the drone as it tumbled down, rolling over hundreds of Cogs before coming to a stop.

A new drone scurried over the top of the fallen machines firing two cannon shots into the Zord's chest. The shots detonated inside the Astro Mega Zord sending out plumes of fire that burst through the front and rear armor like spears of fire. Andros squeezed off another shot into the fallen drone's head. The drone exploded sending the one on top of it toppling back into the lines of drones behind it.

Andros' hands danced over the controls as he programmed in a final attack for the Zord.

"Astro Mega Saber!" he ordered.

The cannon dropped from the Zord as the Astro Mega Saber formed in the Zord's hand. Andros looked out the main display at the terrible wall of machines advancing in front of the wall of fire and black smoke they left in their wake. With a sigh Andros initiated his programmed sequence and hit the eject button. The Red Space Ranger was rocketed out of the Zord as the engines ignited and the Astro Mega Zord flew forward into the lines of drones racing down the side of the machines, its sword cleaving through the next drone in line and then the one behind it. Three more drones fell, the fifth in the line breaking the saber into metal splinters as the sword caught halfway through. The Zord changed course as the blade shattered and plowed into another drone smashing it into the one behind it as the three machines tumbled into a burning building, the weakened structure giving way and crumbling on top of them.

Andros landed on the ground well behind the rapidly advancing frontline and turned toward the palace. No sooner had he taken a step than he heard a voice from a building above him.

"Well Red Ranger, I'm glad I will finally have the opportunity to finish you off myself." Astronema said as she leapt down onto the street in front of him.

"Karone…"

Kimberly put two shots in the chests of a pair of Putties coming down the hall, their bodies flying apart into burning stone as a swirl of cinders circled in the air above. Josh nodded to her and pointed at a huge pair of double doors toward the end of the hall. Kimberly nodded and followed him.

As they came to the huge doors Kimberly already knew what was on the other side of them. She saw Josh's chest heave as he took a deep breath. Kimberly drew back on her bow forming a shimmering magenta dart, her hands were shaking.

Josh slammed his fists into the double doors tearing them from their hinges and sent them spinning down toward the end of the room. The doors suddenly exploded into splinters as a figure in black armor became visible through the swirl of wood fragments.

Joshua Raine stepped forward holding out his hand as his double sided naganata manifested in a blaze of green light, the blades projecting from the finely carved dragon heads, the rings on the back of the blade clanking as he drew the weapon to his side.

Kimberly moved behind him bringing her bow up, training it on Lord Zedd. She tried to steady her body as the terror of Zedd's presence pressed against her mind compelling her to run, but her will was stronger.

"Well," Lord Zedd said stepping down from his throne, his eyes burning bright as they fixed on Josh. "You are certainly the last one I expected to come through those doors."


	22. Chapter 22

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-22-

Lokar hovered above the battlefield to the northeast of the palace. Below him a raging battle took place for miles as Putties hacked and slashed their way through the seemingly endless hordes of snake warriors, ghouls, undead, vampires, demons, and abominations. Putties fell in droves as more sprang from the earth sustained only by Lokar's arcanum. On the fringes of the battle the Tengas feasted on the fallen bodies like huge carrion birds, their head raising up as they choked down huge slabs of meat before ripping into the corpses again for more; only attacking when anything drew near enough to disturb their gorging.

To the southeast another battle was raging as Quantrons desperately tried to hold their barricaded lines against the scourge. Hordes of the new type two Piranhatrons raced forward into the lines of the enemy creatures rending flesh and arcane forms apart in a spray of blood and fire. Piranhatrons and Quantrons also met with horrid ends as they were rent apart by the furious slashing of claws and blades as others fell in flaming wrecks of melting metal as demon fiends set them ablaze with infernal fire.

From the edges of the buildings Sting Wings, from the Vora, poured into the air falling on the enemy hordes with shrieks as they ripped apart flesh and armor with their scythed limbs. Others took hold of the various creatures and carried them high into the air before dropping them to their deaths in the midst of their own forces.

And in the east, over the horizon Lokar could see the growing flames as the armies of the Machine Empire pressed ever closer to their objective.

Lokar's protective barrier flared in a haze of purple and red as another of the abominations was deflected from its surface, slamming into the ground. Before it could right itself a Putty had run its bladed appendage through the monster. The beast thrashed about, flailing its tentacles and clawed limbs before they fell limp.

Lokar stretched out his hand sending a tendril of crackling energy through the host of warriors spearing it through several of the creatures, exploding them in flesh and flame as their forms lost cohesion. Lokar laughed as more of the enemy's legions fell to his power, his eyes burning with a deep crimson flame as glowing lines of fire began to etch into his facial features as the seals holding his power in check began to break.

The air was immediately sucked from the lift as the doors opened; the last sound heard was the depressurizing of the transport tube before the room fell silent. Zhane stepped off the lift into cargo bay two, his gun sword manifested in his hand in a blaze of dazzling white light. The door to the lift slid shut behind him.

"Ivann lock down cargo bay two," Zhane ordered over his com system.

"Acknowledged," Ivann responded.

Zhane looked around the room running through his visual spectrum. He knew the Phantom Ranger would not appear, but he hoped to find something out of place that he could use to help. With the vacuum it would be impossible to hear her coming.

Suddenly Zhane was struck from behind. The Silver Ranger flew across the room, skidding over the ground before crashing into several metal crates. Zhane leapt out of the way as two shots flew out of thin air toward him. Landing on the far side of the crates Zhane looked around frantically for anything to aid him. His eyes fell on a small port on the ceiling, one of the sprinkler valves of the fire control system.

"Ivann, activate the sprinkler system in cargo bay two," Zhane replied.

"Acknowledged," Ivann replied.

Water began to rain down from the high ceiling blanketing the cargo bay in water. Zhane stood up panning the room with his weapon, but could not see anything through the thick haze of water. He quickly ducked back down.

"Ivann kill the gravity and then shut off the water." Zhane replied as he engaged the magnetic grips on his boots.

"Acknowledged,"

Zhane looked up as the water suddenly slowed as the pressure from the sprayers became the only force at work on it. Droplets hit the ground and sent a spray of water back up into the room. Zhane rose again and slashed out with his weapon sending a wide crescent of energy flying across the room. As the beam crossed the space between him and the wall he caught sight of a disturbance in the water as something moved up and over his attack. Zhane brought up his weapon firing several shots into what he perceived as the center of mass.

The azure bolts detonated in the air causing fluctuation in the Phantom Ranger's cloaking field, making her visible for a moment. Zhane jumped over the boxes and rushed toward her. Drawing his arm back Zhane slashed at her last known position. Water flew out from her location heading away from Zhane. Zhane quickly turned on his heels and leapt toward the spray of water lashing out with his blade. Armor sparked into existence for a brief moment as blood sprayed into the void leaving a crimson stream that trailed off into cover behind several crates.

Zhane smiled as he took hold of a sheet of metal from the wall and walked back over toward the hole in the ship grabbing a torch on his way over. Tossing the armored slab over the hole he began welding the opening shut, looking up constantly toward the corner where the trail of blood had vanished. The water began to crystallize in the coldness of space. With his task complete Zhane tossed the torch aside leaving it to drift.

"Ivann, repressurize the bay, keep the gravity off."

"Acknowledged."

The water and ice droplets began to swirl as air began to flood through the vents redistributing the water throughout the room. The ice began to melt as the air brought heat with it into the chamber.

"ETA to Earth?" Zhane asked.

"Three point six minutes, and the Black and Pink Rangers have come aboard."

"Allow them to access the cargo bay," Zhane ordered.

"Acknowledged,"

Zhane knew his gravity trick wasn't going to work much longer, and once the water fell he'd lose her again. Even if he couldn't subdue her, somehow he had to disable her cloaking field before time ran out.

"You might as well give up," Zhane said stepping toward the corner. "Your stealth abilities have been compromised, I don't want to kill you, but if we continue like this it's likely to happen."

Zhane paused for a moment looking around. There didn't seem to be any response from the Phantom Ranger. Slowly he began walking toward the crates in the corner watching both sides for any sign of movement.

Suddenly the lift doors opened as Rocky and Shawna emerged.

"Good, you're here," Zhane said. "She's back here somewhere and she's…"

Zhane was cut short as something broke through the water behind him and wrapped around him. Aisha suddenly appeared holding the Silver Ranger with an arm lock around his throat with her blaster pressed against his head as she turned to use Zhane as a shield from the other Rangers. Rocky and Shawna both froze.

"Now," Aisha began. "You're going to get that lift unlocked or I'm going to vaporize his head."

Goldar flew over the palace; his wings ached; his vision was blurred. The battles below appeared as little more than flashes and smudges of fiery colors all around him. The edges of his field of vision had grown dark and Goldar fought against the grogginess as he struggled to keep his eyes opened.

As Goldar rose above the palace he could see the faint outlines of several buildings on the eastern side of the palace, their forms lit by distant flames, the origin of which he could not discern. Fighting to keep consciousness Goldar dove toward a building to his left, his wings tucking back as he swooped toward the roof.

With a final burst of exertion he unfurled his wings, slowing himself enough to crash onto the roof. As his body skidded to a stop Goldar activated his locator beacon on his gauntlet as his head fell to the rooftop, his eyes closing.

Lord Zedd pulled his sword from its resting place beside the throne and began to spin it in his hands as he walked toward the two Rangers.

"So, are you also back from the dead?" Lord Zedd asked.

"I was never dead," Josh said a little aggressively.

"Well, no matter," Zedd replied. "I'll finally have the chance to finish you with my own hands."

Lord Zedd charged forward, Kimberly released her shot. Zedd deflected the pink bolt and then brought his blade down to block Josh's first strike. Kimberly moved to the side and let several more bolts fly. Zedd chose to ignore them as Josh whirled his naganata around his body striking repeatedly at Zedd.

As the Dark Lord blocked strike after strike Kimberly's shots hit Zedd's armor and vanished in a puff of black and pink mist. Kimberly considered her options looking for any weak points in Zedd's armor, but it appeared that the slit for his eyes was the only opening.

Lord Zedd blocked another strike from Josh and lunged forward slamming his fist into the golden chest plate. Josh staggered slightly as he rolled his body, Zedd's fist sliding passed him scarcely missing him and spun his weapon around catching Zedd in the chin with the blade. The edge of the naganata clanged harmlessly off Zedd's armor as the Dark Lord roared with laughter.

"Face it," Lord Zedd mocked as he slashed out at Josh again. "You're attacks will break on my defense like water against rocks."

Josh caught Zedd's strike and held the blade for a moment. "Even water can wear away stone if given enough time." Josh replied as he lashed out again with the other end of the naganata.

Zedd blocked the first strike before slamming his shoulder toward the Green Ranger. Josh sidestepped Lord Zedd and slammed his naganata into his back, the blade sparking in a flash of red on the obsidian surface, sending him stumbling forward. Zedd growled as his hand lashed up sending a crimson blast of fire in Kimberly's direction. Before Kimberly could even react Josh had moved between the two and cut through the attack with his katana.

"Getting scared already?" Josh asked sheathing his blade and spinning his naganata.

Zedd laughed. "You think your skills impress me?" Zedd replied. "It will take more than a new suit of armor to defeat me."

Zedd leapt forward throwing a roundhouse at the Green Ranger. Josh blocked the attack with the shaft of his weapon taking care to not connect with Zedd's armor. Kimberly slid to the side and fired three arrows toward Zedd's visor, but Zedd quickly turned his head as the bolts were destroyed on the armor.

Josh thrust the shaft of his weapon forward slamming the bar across Zedd's chest, knocking him back a step. Zedd suddenly lashed out with his arm, the gauntlet struck Josh in the head sending small cracks streaming from the point of impact and knocking him to the ground as the shrieks of the souls within the armor echoed in the Green Ranger's mind, his weapon falling to the ground beside him.

"Josh!" Kimberly screamed.

Josh rolled to his feet clutching his head as Zedd stalked toward him. The despairing voices of billions consumed his thoughts. Block them out. Josh tried to focus, he was a solid rock in the midst of the storm, their fate was not his; he would prevail. Slowly Josh began to push the screams from his mind as his thoughts centered on his task as Zedd closed on him.

Josh suddenly took hold of his weapon and leapt at Zedd with a hard slash. Zedd was caught off guard and barely managed to shield himself from the strike as Josh pushed Zedd's blade against his armor. Zedd could feel the sword's desire to consume him as the blade was held to his chest, its phantom tentacles groping at his soul.

Zedd pushed back causing Josh's feet to slide along the floor. With a quick rotation of his naganata Josh dropped to the floor and swept Zedd's legs. The Dark Lord fell to the ground as the screams of billions again rang in Josh's head. Josh was quick to master the torment of his attackers and pushed it from his mind, coming to his feet as Zedd leapt back up.

Kimberly fired several shots at Zedd, but he was quick to send an arc of lightning through the bolts before it hit Kimberly in the chest knocking her back into the wall. Josh threw a hard punch into Zedd's chest, but even as the aura began to warp it snapped back and hit Josh's hand with a reactive force. Josh could feel the pain shoot through his arm adding to the dissonance in his mind.

Lord Zedd took advantage of Josh's condition and slashed at his chest. Josh fell back, struggling to focus as the madness in his mind distorted the world around him into a state of vertigo and planted his hands on the ground as the blade flew above him before springing away from Zedd. Coming to his feet, his mind restored, Josh fired a burst of green energy at Zedd. The Dark Lord raised his arm as the attack dispersed on his gauntlet. Josh raced to Kimberly's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied coming to her feet. "I don't think I'm contributing much."

"Be patient," Josh replied. "This is going to be a long fight."

Lord Zedd charged forward striking with his sword. Josh blocked the attack as Kimberly put some distance between herself and Zedd. Josh spun the other end of his naganata around, but Zedd lashed out with his arm and knocked it from his hands before attacking again. In a flash Josh had drawn his katana and wakizashi catching Zedd's strike between the two blades.

Josh parried Zedd's blade aside with his katana as he thrust his wakizashi into Lord Zedd's abdomen. The point grazed over the armor sending out a flurry of red sparks, the blade not even leaving a blemish on the surface. Zedd struck again, but Josh dropped under the attack and sheathed his blades before jumping back to his feet with his naganata in hand.

Zedd thrust his blade forward attempting to stab Josh, but the Green Ranger leapt over the attack and threw a flying side kick in the Dark Lord's face. Zedd staggered back as Josh's foot bounced off the armor, the retaliation of the trapped souls little more than a drone in Josh's mind as he flipped over backward and landed on his feet.

Josh stepped in and knocked Zedd's blade aside before throwing a kick into his midsection. As his foot made contact Zedd was knocked back, the armor's shrieks nothing but a distant cry. Josh stepped back and brought his weapon around behind him and placing his hand forward toward Zedd as the Dark Lord recovered; one obstacle down, one to go.

King Mondo raised his staff blocking Ecliptor's initial strike before swinging the heavy head of the staff around, smashing it across Ecliptor's face. Ecliptor staggered back, the side of his face scuffed and cracked. Ecliptor fired a blast of energy from his eyes cutting across Mondo's chest. The King laughed as the attack burned shallowly into his thick armor plating.

Then Ecliptor leapt into the air coming down on Mondo with a double handed slash. Mondo blocked the attack with his staff, but Ecliptor was quick to counter with a kick to Mondo's stomach.

The Machine King staggered back, the gear on his back suddenly springing to life as it spun rapidly. Lightning arced from the gear jumping to the staff before it was projected from the staff at Ecliptor. The blast of electricity burned into Ecliptor's body and surged over his armor in waves as he was thrown to the ground, his servos and actuators convulsing as the electricity dispersed.

Ecliptor rose to his feet, his body coursing with red energy as his body transformed to its higher state. Mondo raised his staff again, sending another burst of directed lightning at Ecliptor, but Ecliptor crouched behind his weapon as he plunged the blade into the earth. Mondo's strike hit the blade and was quickly dispersed into the ground. Immediately Ecliptor came up, pulling his sword from the ground as he slashed with his sword sending a wave of fire at King Mondo. The Machine King brought his staff up as the gear whirled, generating a small shield in front of him. Ecliptor's attack was absorbed by the force field as it flashed red before disappearing.

Ecliptor raced forward bringing his sword up in a slash. Mondo stepped back avoiding the strike before lashing out with his staff, knocking Ecliptor to the side as energy discharged off the weapon causing Ecliptor's systems to shudder. Ecliptor regained his motor control and thrust his blade at Mondo's chest, but the Machine King knocked his strike aside with a laugh.

Suddenly a sonic wave hit Ecliptor distorting all his sensory input and sending a crack spiraling out from the center of his chest. Before he could react Mondo slammed his staff into his head knocking him down. As Ecliptor hit the ground his systems began to recalibrate, he could see Machina standing by the doorway of the pod, her metal fan spread in front of her.

Ecliptor pulled himself up as the blades of the fan began to vibrate at an ultrasonic level. Ecliptor moved to the side keeping Mondo between himself and Machina. Mondo smirked as he noticed Ecliptor's caution. Undaunted Ecliptor stepped forward and sent a blast of energy from his palm which Mondo quickly deflected, but the moment of distraction gave Ecliptor the time he needed to cross the distance between them.

Ecliptor slashed at Mondo only to have his strike blocked. He parried Mondo's attack to the side and slashed again, but Mondo brought the lower end of his staff around and deflected his attack. Ecliptor brought his blade back and thrust it toward King Mondo's stomach, but the old machine brought his staff down pinning Ecliptor's sword. Ecliptor released his blade and threw a right hook making contact with Mondo's jaw, smashing into the metal and disfiguring his chin as the armored frame twisted.

As Mondo staggered aside Ecliptor dropped and took hold of his sword before sending an arc of red energy flying at Machina. Machina was caught off guard by the surprise attack. She tried to move back into the pod, but the wave of energy hit her cutting through half of her exposed waist. Her eyes suddenly lit in a flash of light before her body collapsed onto the floor of the pod.

Mondo recovered from Ecliptor's last attack and brought his staff down on his head, but Ecliptor managed to bring his sword up and block. Mondo continued to bear down on him as he tried to push himself up off his knees, but the force of the Machine King was tremendous.

Finally Ecliptor slid forward shoving both feet into Mondo's rounded body and thrust him up into the air over him. Ecliptor leapt to his feet as Mondo crashed into the ground awkwardly. Not wasting a minute Ecliptor ran to where Machina was lying and ran his sword through her head, insuring her automated repair functions would be unable to save her. Her head sparked as the neural network was destroyed, the last of its energy discharging with a cracking of electricity and a wisp of smoke.

Ecliptor pulled his sword from Machina's head and turned to face Mondo who was pushing himself upright again.

"You know this is futile," Mondo said. "If you strike us down we will simply be rebuilt."

"We'll see," Ecliptor replied extending his hand as he sent another projection of energy at the Machine King.

Mondo summoned his shield to block the attack as Ecliptor raced at him.

"This tired tactic," Mondo sneered as he lowered his staff to release a surge of directed lightning.

Ecliptor charged straight through the attack absorbing the energy with his body. Reaching out with his left hand Ecliptor took hold of Mondo's staff and pushed it aside as he thrust his sword into the tyrant's stomach discharging the full force of Mondo's attack back into him. King Mondo fell back, stumbling as he tried to remain on his feet, his body sparking as systems were destroyed before his protection systems activated. Mondo fell to his back, his legs kicking and arms flailing as he tried to right himself.

"It's impossible!" Mondo shouted. "You couldn't have redirected my attack like that!"

Ecliptor stood over Mondo with his sword drawn, his head twitched suddenly as a few sparks danced over his neck.

"It wasn't without consequence," Ecliptor said glaring down at him. "But I'm fairly certain that your beacon has been disabled now,"

"You will pay for this!" Mondo roared.

"No, you will finally pay for all the machines that have perished in your mad quest for power, the vast number of warriors that you have used to shield yourself and protect your own interests. Now taste oblivion!" Ecliptor shouted raising his sword up into the air.

Mondo's staff suddenly sparked as the Machine King thrust it against Ecliptor's chest discharging a stream of lightning. Ecliptor's body locked up as arcs of electricity coruscated over his fiery form. One of his eyes went black as the surge of power burnt out his optics. With a shout of rage Ecliptor routed all his remaining power to his arms, the surge shorting out the servos and actuators in his limbs as he forced his blade down into Mondo's head.

The Machine King shouted in defiance as the blade pierced his face plate sending his own energy pouring back into him, the two mechanical beings writhing in agony as their systems were burned out, one after the other.

Mondo's body erupted in a final surge of power charring his metallic armor black. Ecliptor's form degenerated into his lower state as his body fell limp, his grip on his sword releasing as he collapsed to the ground no more than a lifeless doll. The last sparks of life cracked over the surfaces of the warriors' bodies, and then all was silent.

Adam was knocked flat on his back as Black kicked him in the side of the head. As he landed Adam knew he had to take away Black's overwhelming advantage of sight. He could not afford to fight him at long ranges. Then Adam remembered the brief time he had spent learning aspects of Wing Chun. If he could get in close to Black he should be able to hold his own against the Psycho Ranger while his body healed.

Adam rose and threw his axe down on the ground, the head cleaving into the ground. Black looked puzzled for a moment as Adam walked toward him. Black suddenly sprang at Adam bringing his axe down in a slash, but Adam sidestepped the attack and slammed his forearms down on the axe forcing it to the ground before thrusting both fists into Black's chest. The Psycho Ranger let go of the axe as Adam stepped up to him, their faces less than a foot apart.

Adam immediately brought his arms up, his elbows tucked back toward his chest as he began to strike Black repeatedly in the chest. Black raised his arms trying to block and counter, but Adam caught his strikes and knocked them aside landing more blows. Black stepped back, but Adam quickly followed his movements, keeping the distance between them short.

Black brought a leg up trying to knee Adam, but the Black Ranger could feel the shift in Black's body through the contact in their arms and brought his leg up limiting the power of the strike before connecting with a blow to Black's head. The Psycho Ranger staggered back, but Adam pressed his assault. Black tried to strike again, but found his sight was of little use against Adam's training reflexes.

Black suddenly tried to leap back, but Adam grabbed his wrists and pulled him back slamming his foot into the center of Black's chest. The Psycho Ranger doubled over as the armor on his chest cracked from the repeated abuse.

Adam blinked suddenly realizing that his vision was improving and his visor had closed up. Switching over to a wireframe visual Adam could clearly see the red grid form of the Psycho Ranger against the blue background. With a hard kick Adam sent Black flying backward into a slab of concrete, the reinforced material exploding in a spray of powder as he hit it.

As Adam rushed toward him Black stretched out his hand summoning his axe. Adam dove to the side as the weapon flew through the space he had just been in. As he hit the ground he pulled his blaster and fired off several shots into Black's chest before holstering the weapon. Black convulsed as the plasma bolts burned through the compromised chest armor.

Black jumped to his feet with a furious scream as he rushed at Adam lashing out with his axe. Adam caught the shaft of the weapon and heaved Black into the air using his own momentum against him. As Black flew over Adam and began his descent Adam slammed his fist forward striking with a hard punch into Black's inverted body. The blow hit Black at the base of his sternum shattering his armor as his body twisted in the air and flew away from Adam.

Black hit the ground and skidded to a halt next to Adam's axe. The Psycho Ranger grabbed Adam's weapon as he rose to his feet in a huff. As he turned prepared to hurl the axe at Adam he saw that the Black Ranger had drawn his Blade-Blaster. The axe left Black's hand as Adam pulled the trigger twice, falling backward as he attempted to avoid the attack.

Black smirked until he suddenly noticed a glint of purple light below his peripheral vision. As he looked down he saw Adam's plasma bolts strike the center of his exposed Morpher. Adam fell to the ground as the shaft of his axe smacked into the top of his helmet cracking the forehead as Adam's neck was wrenched back. The last thing Adam saw before he hit was Psycho Black exploded in a storm of dark light and purple flames.

"Adam!" Ashley shouted coming around a corner and racing to his side.

Adam looked up a little dazed to see Ashley and two other Rangers standing over him. The gold shield of Trey's armor made him unmistakable, which meant the dark colored one had to be Billy.

"Are you okay?" Billy asked kneeling down next to Adam.

"Yeah," Adam replied. "I just need a second."

Trey walked over and retrieved Adam's weapon which had imbedded itself in a pile of rubble. Adam sat up slowly letting his head clear as he watched the small dark blaze that still danced on the ground where Black had been moments ago.

"Here," Trey said holding out Adam's weapon.

Adam touched the axe causing it to vanish in a quick flash as he sat transfixed on the dying fire.

"You did it," Ashley said. "You won,"

"I know," Adam replied. "But I still can't believe it." He said, slowly coming to his feet.

"We still need to find Jason," Billy replied. "There might still be one more Psycho Ranger left."

"He's over this way," Trey said indicating the direction.

"Let's get this over with then," Adam said as he began to walk toward Jason's location followed by the others.

Red's blade glanced off of Jason's as the Psycho Ranger leapt over the Red Ranger avoiding his attack completely. Jason turned to face Red as he landed, their swords clashing in a burst of red lightning. Jason pushed Red back as he spun and slashed at the Psycho Ranger again. Red blocked the sword as Jason lunged in, the three blades shooting from his left gauntlet. Red stepped aside avoiding the attack before throwing a roundhouse at Jason's head. Red Ranger dropped to the ground under the kick and threw a sweep at Red, but the Psycho Ranger back flipped into the air evading it. As Red landed he hurled a fireball at Jason, which Jason knocked away with his sword before hurling a blazing shuriken at Red. The Psycho Ranger leaned back as the blades flew over him.

Jason charged in taking a slash at Red, but he dropped flat on his back and rolled to the side before leaping to his feet and striking at Jason. The Red Ranger turned and caught his strike and parried it to the side before throwing a side kick at Red. The kick connected knocking Red back across the ground. Jason flung his arms wide as a hail of shurikens flew at Red. The Psycho Ranger slashed his sword wildly cutting the ethereal weapons from the air.

Jason raced forward, but Red shot off two quick bursts of fire from his hands robbing Jason of his momentum as he ducked and weaved around the attacks before their blades clashed again. Jason stepped back as Red stumbled forward and launched a force blast at the Psycho Ranger's chest sending him flying back into a wall.

Red hit the wall and broke through it, flying into the damaged building. Jason leapt to the opening looking around the dark interior. He could not see Red immediately and the interior of the building was full of places to hide. Jason stepped back dropped down from the ledge and thrust both hands forward sending a massive force blast at the side of the structure blowing out the wall. A flash of red light sprung from the building as the structure began to collapse.

Jason tried to keep track of Red's movements, but lost him as the dust filled air clouded everything around them.

"Now this is how I like things," Red's voice echoed off the rubble and empty walls seemingly coming from several directions.

Jason turned around trying to find the source of the voice. Suddenly bursts of flame ripped from the black haze around him. Jason evaded the attack and launched a hail of shurikens into the darkness. Even as he did several more shots flew at him from behind, several struck his armor burning a hole in the back below his shield. Jason tensed as he felt the fire sear his flesh.

Before he could counterattack several more shots burst from the cloud toward him. Jason jumped back as the shots detonated on the ground where he had just been.

"How does he know where I am in all this?" Jason said under his breath.

Several more burst of fire broke free of the shadows heading straight at him. As Jason leapt out of the way he noticed his sword's light illuminating the dust around him. Red was using the light from his weapon as a beacon! As Jason landed he plunged his sword into the ground and sent a spray of shurikens toward Red's last known position. As expected Red sent another spray of fireballs at him, this time Jason leapt away leaving his sword. The fireballs hit the ground exploding in a plume of flames all around the sword. Jason extended his hand causing the weapon to vanish in a flash of red light. Quietly taking a step back Jason ducked behind a piece of rubble and waited.

There was a period of silence and Jason began to wonder what Red was up to. The dust was beginning to settle, increasing the range of visibility. Jason glanced around scanning through his visual modes for any sign of the Psycho Ranger. Suddenly he felt a gust of air behind him. Jason dodged to the side as Red fell on him from above. The Psycho Ranger's sword sliced through the back of Jason's armor cutting a shallow gash down his back.

Jason's arm immediately extended as he manifested his sword in an explosion of fire as Red charged in. Jason thrust his arm out extending his three blades as Red attacked, catching his sword between the blades' gaps. With a twist of his wrist Jason ripped the sword from Red's hand before slashing his sword at Red's neck. The Psycho Ranger leaned back as the blade passed within inches of his face.

Jason recovered, tossing Red's sword aside as he jumped at the Psycho Ranger. Red extended one hand out calling for his sword as he launched a fireball at Jason with the other. Jason dropped down spinning around on his knees as he slashed the sword across Red's chest. The blade cut deep into the Psycho Ranger's body setting his necrotized flesh ablaze. Red fell to his knees cursing as his returning blade flew into him cutting his head from his neck as the weapon clattered into the rubble beyond him. Red's body fell to the ground in a burning heap as his flaming head rolled over the ground.

The Psycho Ranger's morph failed as his body reverted to normal in a glimmer of red flames. Jason stood over Red's burning head watching as the Psycho Ranger's flesh burned away in layers, each peeling away as it blackened like paper. Behind him Red's body exploded in a shower of crimson embers as the Morpher failed in the intense blaze. Red's head rolled back as the jaw opened wide as the last of the sinew was burned away leaving only a blackened smoldering skull.

With a heavy sigh Jason looked up and began to head toward the other Rangers.

Lightning burst from the ground taking the form of skeletal arms that reached out for Zordon. Zordon quickly extended his staff, raising a wall of stone in front of him as the spectral hands raced forward. The lightning dispersed on the stone, the wall falling away immediately as a river of ice swept over the ground from Zordon's position. Twin serpents of water leapt from the ground twisting around Vile as their bodies hardened.

Vile recited an incantation shattering the ice as the air shook with the force of a bomb blast. The fragments of ice stopped in the air and turned, their jagged ends pointed at Zordon before racing toward him like darts.

Zordon leapt into the air avoiding the shards of ice as he sent a gale toward Vile, knocking him back. Vile quickly recovered and cast a handful of dust from his cloak into the air. The dust began to grow as it formed into a sand golem. As the creature stormed forward Zordon unleashed a firestorm searing the creature into molten glass. Zordon leapt aside as the creature attempted to smash its fist down on top of him, the creature's fist struck the ground sending spurts of glowing liquid spraying from the ground. Landing next to the wall Zordon struck it with his staff as water shot out like a flood; with a hiss and a series of loud cracking sounds the golem exploded in a shower of glass, littering the ground with millions of sparkling fragments.

Through the explosion a column of stone flew at Zordon smashing into the wizard, but he vanished in a cloud of smoke and leapt from the wall striking at Vile with his staff. Vile blocked the attack, knocking the staff aside before sending a blast of dark energy from his hand. The strange vapor engulfed Zordon's head shrouding his world in darkness. Zordon stepped back trying to get his bearings, but the world around him grew even darker.

Vile moved in slamming his staff into Zordon's chest knocking him back as a twisted rot spread over the armor where the staff had made contact. Zordon flew back hitting the wall before dropping to the ground. As he came to his feet he slammed his staff on the ground sending out a burst of light from the head of his staff dispelling the darkness from around him allowing him to see Vile releasing a bolt of lightning from his hand.

Zordon deflected the shot with his staff as he sent a beam of light back at the warlock. Vile vanished into the shadow afforded him by Zordon's attack before stepping out of the darkness next to the wizard. Before Vile could attack a thick root tore from the wall and wrapped around the warlock's arm binding it to the wall. Zordon turned and stuck Vile in the chest, the warlock's robes bursting into flames with the impact.

Vile ripped his arm from its bond and lashed out at Zordon as an invisible force snuffed out the fire. The wizard leapt back slamming his staff down as the wall around Vile collapsed, but Vile vanished into the shadows and emerged on the other side of the room. Zordon touched his hand to the rotted armor on his chest and with a quick incantation restored the plate. Zordon and Vile stood off for a moment each regarding their opponent.

"You seem to have gained much from the Zeo crystal," Master Vile said.

"I have not even begun to unlock its true power," Zordon replied. "You would be wise to withdraw."

Vile grinned. "And what makes you think you've seen the full extent of my power?"

Master Vile raised his arms as twin dragons snaked from the sleeves of his robe and raced toward Zordon. Suddenly blades of water leapt from the ground decapitating both of the monsters as they dissipated into mist. Zordon's body began to glow as the twin capes that hung from his shoulders flew up into the air like wings as they exploded into a raging storm of lightning. Zordon's whole body flared with a brilliant white as the golden runes and visor lit with an ominous glow. His staff transformed into a sword as the flaming wings at the top of his staff became the guard, the shaft shrinking to become the hilt.

"Very well," Vile replied. "If that's how you want it,"

Vile's arms closed around his body as his form began to twist and pulsate as if his body were nothing more than a cloak wrapped around another creature. Part of the body tore away as a taloned hand reached out with black scales that shimmered with a dark shade of purple. The rest of the flesh peeled away as a creature similar in form to a dragon emerged from the husk. Vile's form lacked a tail, but was covered in thick scales that shimmered and flashed as if lightning was dancing within them. His head had twisted horns that reached down and pointed forward, his face had hardened into a mask with a ghoulish grin, the eyes glowed an icy blue as streams of glowing liquid ran down from the eyes on the edges of the face, the strange liquid dripping onto the ground like tears. Giant black wings, like those of a raven, spread from his back. His staff had transformed into a large scythe, the edges of the blade fluctuated in shape as if they were made of mercury.

"Despair and die!" Vile shouted as he charged at Zordon.

The two ethereal beings clashed, Zordon's sword striking against the blade of Vile's scythe as dark mist and lightning spread from the weapons. Zordon knocked Vile's weapon back and sent a surge of flame from his hand, the fire engulfed Vile for a mere moment. As Zordon ceased his attack the fire died out.

Vile laughed as several tendrils sprang from his chest ensnaring Zordon's legs and whipping him around and slamming him into the ground. Zordon's wings exploded in a burst of white light as lightning arced over the floor and jumping up Vile's legs. The tendrils released, snapping back into Vile's body as Zordon rose to his feet, lightning immediately springing from his back into a new pair of wings.

Vile slammed the butt of his scythe down, sending a burst of crimson light out, casting shadows of his form over the walls. As the light faded the shadowy forms began to step forth from the wall. Zordon hurled his sword forth like a spear piercing the first of the shadow beasts, the creature withering into nonexistence. Two more came at Zordon and Vile vanished into the darkness. Lightning leapt from Zordon's hands forming twin blades which he used to quickly dispatch the attackers before summoning his sword back to him. More shadows leapt from the wall.

"Enough!" Zordon shouted as his sword exploded in a flare of light bright as the day.

Shrieks reverberated through the chamber as the shadows were ripped from existence by the light. Vile suddenly appeared, unable to mask his presence any longer. Zordon flew at him slashing with his sword, but Vile blocked with the shaft of his weapon. As the two weapons grated against each other Zordon began reciting an incantation.

"No!" Vile screamed as the familiarity of the words set in.

The room around them suddenly vanished as it was washed away in a flood of white. Zordon and Vile were encompassed by nothing but brilliant shining radiance. Vile tried to dispel the light, but his words returned void.

"What have you done?!" Vile demanded.

"I have taken away the darkness," Zordon said. "Your powers will no longer work."

"Perhaps," Vile replied as the two drifted around one another. "But if you die so does your power!"

Vile charged in slashing at Zordon, the wizard slid to the side as the scythe cut through the air leaving a brief streak of crimson where it had passed. Vile quickly lashed out at Zordon again, but his strike connected with the shinning blade of the White Ranger. Zordon pushed the blade back as he slashed at the shaft of the weapon cutting the blade from the scythe.

Zordon plunged forward slashing at Vile's chest, but the warlock blocked with the remains of his staff. Zordon pulled back and attacked again, the force of his strike cutting through the shaft. Before Vile could recover Zordon thrust his blade into Vile's chest as lightning surged forth into his body with a deafening clap of thunder as everything around them flashed and reality itself seemed quake.

"You are finished." Zordon said staring into Vile's icy blue eyes.

Vile only responded with booming laughter. Zordon turned as the scythed blade stabbed at his chest. The blade was merged with Vile's hand; the warlock had used the brief seconds of darkness when Zordon's power was channeled into his body to summon his blade. Zordon raised his hand manifesting a barrier, but the blade was merely deflected up into his shoulder. Zordon cried out as the dark blade pierced his flesh and tore into his soul.

Zordon pulled the blade from his shoulder as the two drifted apart, the light fading as the building in which they stood became visible once more. As the shadows grew Vile began to pull the sword from his chest, rising slowly.

Zordon began mumbling rapidly as a growing light began to form at the center of his body. Vile managed to stand ripping the weapon out from his chest, casting it aside. Extending his arm he reformed his scythe and moved toward Zordon. As he closed on the wizard Zordon suddenly rose to his feet and thrust both of his hands forward.

"Be purified by the light!" Zordon shouted as an intense beam of white energy poured from him.

Vile tried to shield himself from the attack as he crossed his arms over the hole in his chest and wrapped his wings around his body, but the beam burned away his wings in a blaze of white flames. Zordon's morphed form began to flicker as parts of his armor shifted between real and intangible. With a final shout Zordon's mask shattered as a burning white light poured from his eyes and mouth and armor exploded from his arms and chest as the burst of light surged to a monstrous level to encompass Vile, burning him away in a firestorm of radiant white flame.

Zordon dropped to his hands and knees, smoke rising in wisps from his arms and chest, the light in his eyes fading away as he took a deep breath. Blood dripped from the wound in his shoulder forming a pool on the ground beneath him. Zordon looked up at the smoldering gouge in the ground where Vile had been. With a sigh Zordon fell and rolled onto his back, starring up at the blackened sky for a moment before closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

Green's head suddenly snapped up as he noticed a dim light descending in the south almost directly above the palace. His gaze fixed on the strange light as he dropped the bodies of Gasket and Archerina on the ground. The robotic torso's clattered at Green's feet before he vanished with a clap of thunder.

"There he is!" Ashley shouted as she and the other Rangers emerged from an alleyway.

"Is everyone alright?" Jason asked as he jogged over to join his friends.

"Yeah," Billy replied. "What happened to Psycho Red?"

"He's gone," Jason replied.

"Then they're all dead!" Ashley replied happily.

"So what's the plan now?" Trey asked.

"We head toward the main gate," Jason said looking around. "Judging by that burning glow in the east and its progression west I'd say all this is going to come to a head right there."

"So it's into the maelstrom then?" Trey asked looking toward the south.

With a nod Jason began walking south as the others followed. It would only be a matter of minutes before they reached the thick of the fighting. Even from their present location he could hear the sounds of explosions, a constant drone highlighted by the shrieks and screams of strange creatures. Jason watched for any sign of the enemy as they headed into darkened streets. The Psycho Rangers may be gone, but this fight was just getting started.

A small craft hovered near the base of the palace. The ship was a modified Quadrafighter, the forward weapons and wings had been removed. The craft had instead been equipped with a series of small airfoils allowing the craft a degree of mobility while considerably lowering its profile. As the cockpit slid open Klank pulled himself out of the cramped compartment and stepped out onto the back of the ship.

Activating a series of buttons a small hatch slid open revealing a metal sphere with a control panel on the front. Klank gently lifted the device up as pistons withdrew from the frame. As the ball slid free Klank shifted it over toward the palace wall. A third arm unfurled from the right side of Klank's back, on the end of which was mounted a small cutting device. There was an ultrasonic whine as a brilliant bluish-white beam began cutting a hole into the side of the palace wall.

When the cutting was complete Klank produced another arm from his left side and pressed against the circular face, the thick section of the wall slid forward nearly a foot before Klank stopped. Klank's extra arms retracted as the machine leaned in, setting the sphere inside the hole carefully before pressing a button on the control panel. The small screen suddenly sprung to life, a series of strange glyphs flashed on the screen as a set of fluctuating points showed the levels of power from the device.

Klank stepped back and climbed back down into the cockpit of his modified ship. The hatch closed as the fighter began to rise up into the air. Klank did not expect this flawed quantum matrix to destroy Lord Zedd, but it should force him into the open where he could more easily be cut down by massed firepower.

Klank reached the top of the palace and began turning as he prepared to rejoin the rest of the Machine Empire. Suddenly his craft exploded as something shot through the ship, Klank was unable to react as his body was torn in two as he and his ship fell away to the depths below the palace.

Psycho Green stood on the spire of the palace watching the two pieces of flaming wreckage fall into the darkness below, laughing as the points of light vanished in the crater.

Then he abruptly stopped and turned quickly. His head flew from side to side looking out over the battle raging below, the flame and the deaths of all involved reflecting in his visor. Finally his head stopped and his eyes fixed on a single individual. Green drew back his sword as if ready to strike; his long tongue ran from his mouth and over the tops of his needle like fangs. Then with a loud crack he was gone.

Lokar roared with laughter as his hand passed over the enemy forces below him, their bodies flying apart as if slashed apart by invisible blades. A glowing red liquid ran from Lokar's eyes like blood, etching more markings onto his face. With a shout of rage Lokar unleashed a storm of lightning; the bolts arced in all directions spearing through the bodies of enemy and ally alike. Putties exploded in a shower of stone and magma as demons and other monstrosities were dispatched in swirls of flaming ash and exploded bone.

Suddenly Lokar was knocked to the ground, his protective barrier exploded in a violent discharge of dark energy as his body hit the ground. Lokar rose to his feet, a mad grin on his face as he looked upon Psycho Green, the creature's sword flickered with the dark light of Lokar's arcanum as it drank in the power.

Psycho Green had grown in stature, now standing at seven feet tall and his armor had grown more twisted. The crests of his armor had extended and were covered in twisted protrusions like thorns. The talons on his hands had grown out and the ridges on his back had extended into small armored plates. The extensions on his elbows had grown out into small serrated blades covered in green armor.

Lokar and Green stood regarding one another for a moment before smiles spread over the faces of both and they began to laugh hysterically. Lokar's arm lashed out toward Psycho Green as everything around him was vaporized in a blinding flash of light. Green charged forward slashing with his sword, but Lokar stretched his hand out blocking the attack with an invisible barrier. Green unleashed a roundhouse catching Lokar in the side and sent him flying back into a building. As his body hit the red lines running over his skin flared.

Green stood his ground and swung his sword in a wide arc toward Lokar. Lokar immediately ascended into the air as the shockwave from the attack ripped through multiple buildings leveling several blocks and wiping out hundreds of warrior caught in the path of Green's attack.

Lokar manifested a large burning mass of brimstone above his head and with a flick of his wrist sent the fiery rock toward Green. Psycho Green swung with his sword, the blade cutting the sphere clean in half as if the blade extended for several meters. The twin halves hit the ground exploding in fire as huge clumps of earth were thrown into the air, the few remaining creatures nearby were torn apart by jagged fragments of burning stone or left to burn to death as the fireball from the impacts rose to the sky.

Lokar smirked and began to turn away when Psycho Green suddenly flew from the flames slashing at Lokar. The sorcerer vanished as Green clove through the air. Landing on the ground the Psycho Ranger turned, confused for a moment before Lokar emerged from the darkness and discharged a burning sphere of lightning into Green's chest. The Psycho Ranger flew back plowing into the ground creating a shallow ditch before leaping back at Lokar. The sorcerer stepped aside as the Savage Sword cut through a section of his spine like hair.

Green twisted out of the way as Lokar retaliated with a blast of ethereal green fire before grabbing the sorcerer by the back of the head and slamming his face down into his rising knee. Lokar flew back, dark blood streaming from his face as he hit the ground. Green rushed forward plunging his sword into Lokar's body, but found that the body disappeared, as if nothing more than an illusion.

Lokar burst from the ground behind Green, but the Psycho Ranger raised his hands sending a powerful shockwave radiating from his body, knocking Lokar back. Before the sorcerer could recover Green hurled a ball of blazing green plasma. Lokar was blown into the air as the attack struck the ground near him, discharging a tremendous amount of force. There was a loud crack as Green suddenly appeared above Lokar and threw a roundhouse at him from above sending him hurtling back to the ground. Lokar hit the ground hard, cratering the ground with his impact as Green landed at the crater's edge.

Lokar snapped to his feet and roared with laughter as two sections of ground leapt up smashing Green between them. Lokar stepped back as the mound of rock suddenly flew apart as Green burst from within and came flying at the sorcerer. Lokar's hands reached out unleashing a hail of jagged crystals into the air. Green attempted to evade but several shards stuck into his body with one hitting his visor and cracking it in a web pattern as he fell to the ground. Lokar stepped over the Psycho Ranger grabbing his shoulder and heaving him into the air before slamming his hand into Green's chest sending him flying back with a huge discharge of energy.

From the air Green suddenly expelled Lokar's crystal darts from his body showering the ground around the sorcerer. Lokar raised his cloak around his face, the shards shattering against the fabric as if it were a wall. Green landed on the ground in a crouch, his arms crossed over his body, the massive sword raised with the tip pointed at Lokar; the wounds to Green's body and armor sealed up in a glow of golden light.

With a cackling shriek Green lashed out with his sword sending a storm of lightning leaping from his blade. Bolts struck Lokar as others arced into the ground around him bathing the entire area in jade sparks. Lokar's gaze fell, cast upon the ground as Green's assault continued.

Suddenly with a blast of azure light Green's attack was wiped away. Lokar stepped forward raising his head to face Green. His eyes were blazing with a crimson light; the ground shook with each of his footfalls, lightning danced over his hands and flashed in the quills on his head. The sky rumbled as rain began to pour down heavily. Green only smiled as Lokar's mouth opened sending forth a violent breath with a loud roar.

Jason charged into the hordes of enemies, the other Rangers following close behind him. The first creature to bar his way was a snake man. With a slash of his sword Jason cut through the creature's limbs as they reached for him before a second slash split the torso separating the creature's body from its legs. His left hand lashed out at a Quantron, the three blades sprung from his gauntlet as he plunged them into the drone's chest.

Ashley rushed into the fray slamming her fist into a Putty's chest before launching into the air, kicking a fiend in the head before dropping to the ground slashing her daggers across its chest in an X. The fiend flew apart in a spray of ash and embers before a Piranhatron stepped through the haze, its blades whirling furiously, stirring the dust in the air.

Before it got any closer several golden orbs flew through the air hitting the machine causing it to shudder before it fell to the ground, its internal systems overloaded. Trey moved passed its fallen form slamming the head of his staff into the chest of a Putty before spinning around to plunge the bladed end of his weapon through the body of a ghoul, its ghostly visage vanishing with a shriek.

Adam rushed into the conflict swinging his axe in a wide arc, decapitating several undead warriors before knocking into them and throwing a side kick into the chest of a Quantron before turning and taking the head from a vampire as it lunged at him. Dropping to a knee he fired off a shot from his axe cannon, sending a Piranhatron to the ground, a smoldering hole through the center of its chest.

Billy leapt into the heart of the fight lashing out with his lance as he speared it through a demon before bringing it back and decapitating a Kimera, its snarling head fell to the ground, tentacles still flailing. A vampire suddenly struck him from the side knocking him down. As the two fell Billy pulled his Blade-Blaster and fired a shot into the creature's chest. With a shriek the vampire exploded in a burst of hot ash. Billy hit the ground and quickly rolled to his feet firing a shot into another Kimera's face before holstering his blaster and running the abomination through with his lance.

Jason slammed his right shoulder into another Kimera throwing the creature up and over him as he lashed out with his sword, cutting through a vampire as he swept his left hand back throwing a blazing shuriken into the airborne Kimera, cutting through its mid section. The beast fell to the ground coughing up blood as it flailed wildly until a Putty smashed its head in with a mace-like limb. Jason burst through the ash of the vampire, kicking a Putty in the chest before turning and thrusting his blade through a Piranhatron's chest, ripping the sword up splitting the machine's head.

Ashley charged into a group of creatures slashing the throat of a snake man before plunging her other weapon through the neck of a fiend. As the fiend exploded Ashley spun through two undead warriors plunging her daggers into their heads before springing over their falling bodies and kicking a Quantron in the head sending it to the ground as she slammed a dagger up through the chin of a Piranhatron, the eyes sparked as the blades whirled to a stop. Ashley pulled her dagger from its head, letting it fall to the ground as she slammed her daggers through the prone Quantron.

Adam jumped to his feet carving up with his axe, taking the front of the skull off a zombie before turning and decapitating a fiend. A Putty swung at him from the left, but Adam dropped down avoiding the attack before punching up into the Putty's chest. As the Putty crumbled Adam jumped to his feet and fired another shot from his axe cannon blasting a vampire into powder before pulling his Blade-Blaster and firing a bolt into the head of a ghoul to his right.

Billy split his lances into two parts and speared each end through the back of a Quantron as he ran passed them. As the two machines fell forward Billy pulled his lances and reconnected them as he speared the end through a Piranhatron before leaping up and over a fiend into the middle of several creatures slashing through the fiend, a Kimera, and a Quantron before putting his elbow through the chest of a Putty.

Trey fired several more ionic plasma spheres into a pair of Quantrons before a Kimera suddenly lashed out with its tentacles wrapping them around Trey's neck. Trey brought his weapon up spearing it through the creature's chest as it leapt at him. Trey tumbled over backward, knocking into a Putty before thrusting his foot into the creature's gut and throwing it up and off his weapon as he spun the bladed end of his weapon around, cutting the tentacles around his neck. As he rolled up onto his feet the Putty turned; Trey thrust the staff head back under his arm and through the Putty's chest.

"Karone, don't do this," Andros pleaded as he manifested his saber blocking Astronema's attack.

"I'm sorry," Astronema replied sending a burst of lightning from her gauntlet into Andros' chest. "Karone isn't here right now," she said, her voice growing unnaturally deep for a moment.

Andros hit the side of a building and dropped down to his knees. He needed to find a way to disarm her without killing her, but if he couldn't? He couldn't let himself think that, there was no way he could kill his sister, even if it meant his own death.

Andros charged in slashing with his saber, but Astronema was quick to deflect his strike with her spear before sending her tendrils out to skewer Andros. The Red Ranger jumped back avoiding the strike. As he landed he combined his blaster with his saber and fired off several high powered shots at Astronema. The Dark Princess knocked the first shot aside with her spear before leaping over the others.

Twirling her spear around behind her neck she thrust it out along her right arm toward Andros' head. The Red Ranger dove aside evading the strike. Rolling onto his knees Andros raised his right arm activating the Battlizer and fired a beam of red light at Astronema. The attack caught her off guard and struck her in the chest, burning into her armor and momentarily disabling her systems.

Andros rushed in and threw a roundhouse into Astronema's stomach knocking her back into a wall. He quickly closed on her holding his saber to her throat.

"Where did you get that?" Astronema asked. "It was suppose to be with the Delta Mega Ship."

"Look's like your intelligence was wrong," Andros said. "Now drop your weapons and power down your armor."

Astronema laughed as her tendrils shot out knocking Andros' saber away from her neck. As Andros recovered Astronema jumped to her feet and fired a blast of dark energy at the Red Ranger. Andros attempted to evade, but the attack grazed his left arm, burning away armor and scorching his flesh.

Andros slashed his sword in the air sending out an arc of red energy, but Astronema leapt over it landing in front of the Red Ranger. She twirled her weapon attempting to slash at Andros' chest, but he was quick to block before countering with a side kick. Astronema staggered back as the kick struck her chest before spinning her spear around hooking Andros' leg and sweeping it out from under him, knocking him over.

Astronema leapt at Andros trying to run her spear through him, but he rolled aside and leapt to his feet slashing at her with his saber. Astronema's tendrils quickly sprung to her defense blocking Andros' attack as the Dark Princess discharged another blast of lightning into Andros' chest knocking him back.

Andros pulled himself to his feet; his armor was charred around the chest, but still intact. With a flash of red light Andros' saber vanished as he pressed a button on his Battlizer. The two charged at one another, as they came within range Astronema slashed out with her spear, but Andros batted it aside with a blazing red hand before slamming another burning red fist into her chest. Astronema reeled back as he made contact, two tendrils lashed out to attack, but Andros caught both with his hands and ripped them from the helmet and cast them aside.

As she recovered Astronema fired off another blast of dark energy from her gauntlets, but the Red Ranger dropped to the ground avoiding it before springing to his feet throwing a roundhouse to her head. Andros' foot burned with a red light as the heel of his boot smashed into the left side of Astronema's helmet shattering part of it.

Astronema staggered back holding the side of her head. The helmet had broken to the left of her nose and just below the cheekbone up to her forehead extending back just beyond her ear. As her hand came down Andros starred in disbelief at the soulless dark eye that glared back at him. Strands of crimson hair blew across the exposed portion of her face. Suddenly Astronema lunged forward slamming her spear across the Red Ranger's helmet knocking him to the ground and cracking the side of it.

Thunder rumbled in the sky above as rain began to fall to the ground. In seconds water was pouring from the sky, saturating the ground giving the black street surface a pale shine in the fire light from the approaching Machine Empire forces.

Andros pulled himself up looking into the eye of his sister.

"Where is Karone?" he demanded.

"You can't have her back," Astronema said raising her arm.

Andros braced himself as Astronema unleashed another stream of lighting. The attack hit Andros, dispersing into the water droplets in the air vaporizing many into puffs of steam as the attack defused into the ground.

Andros' chest was heaving as his breathing accelerated. His arm extended to the side as his saber reformed in his hand in a blaze of red light.

"Give her back!" he screamed as he rushed forward.

Astronema discharged another burst of lightning, but Andros caught the attack with his saber and directed it into the ground. With a hard slash Andros raked his saber across Astronema's chest. Sparks flew from the armor as internal components were cut and shorted out. Astronema stepped back and thrust her spear forward at Andros' head, but Andros leaned to one side as the spear flew passed his helmet.

Astronema brought her spear back and blocked Andros' counterstrike before thrusting her spear at his head again. Andros leaned to the other side and threw a hard uppercut with his left hand. Astronema's head jerked back as she stumbled away from Andros.

"Fight it Karone!" Andros yelled as he threw a hard kick into Astronema's chest knocking her back.

"She can't hear you," Astronema mocked as she dropped to a knee. "And if I go, she goes."

"I don't believe you," Andros said through clenched teeth.

Before Astronema could respond Andros lashed out with another strike of his saber. Astronema managed to block with her spear before spearing a tendril into Andros' shoulder. The Red Ranger screamed as he unleashed a spinning crescent kick slamming his foot into the exposed side of Astronema's head.

Astronema fell to the ground, the side of her face bloodied. She let out a soft cry as she bounced on the ground before laying still.

"Andros?" she called softly.

"Karone?" Andros replied rushing to her and kneeling at her side.

"You fool," Astronema replied as three of her tendrils leapt from her side and speared into the Red Ranger's chest.

Andros fell on his hands and knees as Astronema rose above him. Blood was dripping from his wounds onto the ground. Astronema circled around him once before kicking him in the side knocking him over. Andros could feel his consciousness slipping away, he knew he had no choice anymore; he could not die knowing this thing had his sister. Folding his arms across his chest he depressed the third button on his Battlizer.

There was an explosion of red energy as Andros' body was covered in heavy plates. The Red Ranger screamed as the intense power sealed the wounds in his chest, forcing his body to heal at an unnatural rate. A blast of energy leapt from Andros' body knocking Astronema back as the transformation continued. A pair of armored wings shot from his back as a series of thick metal plates formed like stylized sword blades, three on each side. On his back a missile pod formed on a pair of pylons behind the wings as a new helmet closed around his original one. The helmet was solid red except for the inverted triangle visor that shone in reflective gold and two strange gray pods toward the rear of the jaw line that projected forward toward the chin.

Astronema raised her arm firing a blast of dark energy, but Andros quickly took to the skies, accelerating in a flash. Astronema tried to keep up, but he was flying too fast, the airfoils of his wings allowing him to turn at incredible speeds as he banked around buildings and twisted through alleyways.

Astronema was suddenly knocked off her feet as Andros flew passed her, slamming a fist into her back as he soared away. As she rose to her feet she suddenly noticed several red dots dancing over her chest. Before she realized what they were four rockets streaked out of the sky at her. Immediately her tendrils lashed out spearing through one of the rockets causing it to detonate, throwing her back as the other three tracked her and impacted on her chest exploding in a ball of fire.

Astronema was hurled back into a distant wall; her armor plating was torn apart in the blast as remaining fragments were smashed against the wall. The back of her helmet smashed against the hard black surface shattering it. As she fell to the ground her helmet fell away, the tendrils falling limp.

Andros raced down on top of her, his body reverting to normal as he hit the ground and rolled with the momentum before springing up and running to her side. Kneeling down beside her Andros pulled her up in his arms. What few plates of armor remained hung loosely from the flexible vinyl suit. Her eyes were closed. Blood streaked her face and ran down her cheeks as the rain continued to fall. The crystal on her chest was cracked and only the faintest light still remained within it. Andros pulled his helmet off and looked down into his sister's face.

"Karone?" he said placing his hand on her cheek.

Her flesh was getting cold. Andros checked her pulse, but it was incredibly faint.

"Come on Karone, you can make it," Andros said, tears forming in his eyes.

There was nothing but silence in response to Andros' pleas. The Red Ranger hung his head, a single tear falling from his eye and mixing with the rain that ran over Karone's face.

"Please wake up," Andros whispered quietly.

A thunderous explosion jarred Andros from his sadness. Looking up he could see the Machine Empire getting closer. He had to find some place safe. Taking his sister up in his arms Andros began to head deeper into the city looking for cover.

Lord Zedd lashed out with a roundhouse; Josh blocked his kick with the blade of his naganata as Kimberly fired several more bolts into the back of Zedd's armor. Josh knocked Zedd's sword arm aside and dove into the Dark Lord tackling him as the two slammed onto the ground.

Joshua found himself standing in a dark abyss floating in the void. Around him screaming souls writhed in agony as they burned with infernal flames. Their shrieking drowned out all other sound leaving only a horrid cacophony of torment.

"Listen to me!" Josh shouted trying to be heard. "Fight with me, oppose Lord Zedd!" The shrieks continued as Josh felt his grip on the world slipping. "I can free you!" he shouted as the world around him dissolved back into reality.

Lord Zedd threw Josh from him. The Green Ranger flew back and hit the wall, cracking it. Zedd charged at him slashing with his sword, but Josh recovered and blocked with his naganata and parried the attack to the side before throwing a hard kick into Zedd's chest. The Dark Lord staggered back as Josh followed the attack with a roundhouse to the head. Zedd lurched to the side before swinging with his left arm smashing his forearm into Josh's chest. Josh sailed back slamming through the wall next to the doorway and tumbling out into the hall.

Lord Zedd stalked through the doorway bringing his sword down on Josh, but the Green Ranger rolled aside and threw a kick into the sword blade knocking it away before jumping to his feet. Josh's right hand lashed out sending a green fireball into Lord Zedd's face, blinding him for a moment before he jumped in and slashed his blade across Zedd's chest. The blade sparked as it raced over the surface failing to cut through it.

Zedd turned back to the Green Ranger and swung his sword in a wide arc trying to cut Josh in half, but Josh dropped under it and rolled clear before coming to his feet and slashing his blade across Zedd's back, but the armor would not submit.

Zedd turned, furiously swinging his arm at the Green Ranger. Josh stepped back and spun his naganata slamming the blade against Zedd's strike in a block. There was a flash of light as the blade and gauntlet met. A bolt of pink suddenly flew over Josh's shoulder nearly spearing through Zedd's visor before the Dark Lord turned his head.

As Zedd pushed Josh's blade away he hurled his sword out toward Kimberly. Josh suddenly ducked under Zedd's arm as his naganata rotated with him. Bringing the other end around in a burst of speed he hit Zedd's sword knocking it high as the blade sunk into the wall above Kimberly's head.

Kimberly let several more arrows fly as Lord Zedd thrust his left arm into Josh's mid section bowing him over the arm. As he fell Josh suddenly perceived a tiny knick in Zedd's armor, a thin cut where his blade had struck. Zedd took hold of the back of Josh's neck with his right hand and flung him into the wall of the throne room as he charged at Kimberly.

Kimberly moved out of the way rushing toward Josh as Zedd ran up the wall pulling his sword from the rock before flipping over backward to land on his feet. Josh rose to his feet as Kimberly came to his side.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked, his breathing a little heavy.

"I'm more worried about you," she replied.

"I'm fine," Josh said picking up his naganata from the floor. "I think I cut his armor,"

Josh raced at Lord Zedd, hurling his naganata at him like a spear. Zedd side stepped the attack, the naganata stuck into the wall as Josh pulled his swords and slashed out at him. Zedd managed to block the katana, but the wakizashi slashed across his chest. Josh rushed passed Zedd and ran up the wall at an angle sheathing his swords and retrieving his naganata before springing off the wall. Zedd lashed out at him, but from his inverted position Josh blocked the attack and rolled off it landing on the ground as he struck at Zedd, but the Dark Lord caught his attack and parried it to the side.

Zedd launched a roundhouse, but Josh brought the other end of his weapon around and blocked the strike before slamming his body into Lord Zedd's pinning him to the wall. Lord Zedd head butted the Green Ranger cracking the crest on his helmet. As Josh stepped back Lord Zedd swung with his left, but Josh caught his arm and tossed him over his shoulder slamming him down on the steps leading up to the throne, shattering the rock in a shower of stone and dust.

Josh came down on Lord Zedd attempting to spear his naganata between his helmet and gorget, but Zedd brought his sword up blocking the attack. Josh jumped back as Zedd shifted his blade around trying to cut him.

Lord Zedd managed to get to a knee before Josh stepped back in coming down on him with a slash. Zedd raised his left gauntlet blocking the attack and slashed with his sword. Josh brought his naganata back blocking the strike as Lord Zedd came to his feet. Zedd slammed his shoulder into Josh, the Green Ranger rolled off it moving passed him avoiding most of the impact before throwing a hard punch into the rear of Zedd's armor. A small hairline crack sprung from beneath the strike as Lord Zedd turned and slashed at Josh.

Green Ranger blocked the attack and brought his naganata around slashing at Zedd. The Dark Lord blocked as the two began trading blows, their blades clanging off the others as they danced across the throne room throwing sparks from the grinding edges of the blades. Josh suddenly leapt back as a foreboding stirred in him.

Zedd seemed to sense it as well, he paused. Kimberly watched in a state of confusion as Josh suddenly turned toward her and began to run as Lord Zedd darted for the balcony. Suddenly there was a loud clap and the world went white.

The palace exploded in a sphere of white light that illuminated the landscape like a miniature sun. Darkness was cast away for some as others were cast into eternal darkness as retinas were incinerated and optical systems were burned out for those unfortunate enough to look upon the destruction.

Then the shockwave came, shattering the bridge leading to the palace sending out a hail of debris over the city. Machine Empire walkers fell as chunks of the palace flew through their metal frames at supersonic speeds. Warriors on the fringe of the crater burst into flames as a wave of heat swept through the area before the energy suddenly dispersed straight into the sky leaving nothing except a blazing crater in its wake as the slave district below burned in white hot flames as the flash boiled rain crept from the crater's edge in tendrils of steam.

Zhane's head slammed back hitting Aisha in the side of her helmet as the pistol discharged, burning a scar across the front of Zhane's visor. Aisha stumbled slightly as Zhane turned connecting with a right hook to Aisha's face, knocking the pistol from her hand. Aisha threw a roundhouse as she recovered from the Silver Ranger's strike. Zhane dropped to the ground under Aisha's attack and fired a shot from his Gun-Blade into the pistol on the floor.

Zhane rolled back toward Rocky and Shawna as the pistol exploded in a burst of crimson flame and shrapnel. Zhane rose to his feet as Aisha vanished once again.

"I need to get to the bridge," Zhane said. "You'll have to take care of Aisha."

"What do we do?" Shawna asked.

"You're going to have to either knock her out or find a way to restrain her." Zhane replied. "Using the sprinklers can help, but is useless over a long distance."

"Okay," Rocky said.

"Ivann, sprinklers." Zhane said walking over to the lift doors. Water began to rain down from the ceiling. "Ivann unlock lift doors, reseal once I enter,"

Zhane pressed his back to the lift as the doors slid open allowing him in. He watched for any disturbance in the water as the door slid closed.

"Good luck," Zhane said over the com.

Rocky and Shawna spread out and began walking toward the far wall.

"How are we going to locate her?" Shawna asked. "She doesn't give off any visual data."

Rocky paused for a moment listening to the water beating down around the room, the plinking sound it made against metal objects, the soft thuds against plastics, and the gentle ringing of ceramics.

"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe instead of using light spectrums we should use sound." Rocky replied.

"You mean like a bat?"

"Or a submarine," Rocky replied as he started configuring his armor to emit an ultrasonic pulse. "I think I've got it," he said raising his arm.

Shawna heard a strange whining as Rocky turned, passing his hand around the room; suddenly he paused.

"I've got something," Rocky said. "A contact with no visual source."

Rocky pulled his blaster as he continued to monitor the object. Raising the weapon he took a shot; droplets flew into the air as an object burst through the shower of water. Shawna rushed toward the disturbance throwing a punch toward what she perceived was Aisha's chest. There was a rush of water as Aisha evaded the attack and grabbed Shawna's arm flinging her into the wall of the cargo bay. As Shawna flew into the air Rocky fired another shot hitting Aisha in the back. The Phantom Ranger became visible for a brief moment as the energy discharged over the armor in a flickering wave.

Rocky saw Aisha drop to a knee as the bolt burned into the armor, leaving a patch of black faintly visible as the rest of the suit faded into the haze of water. Shawna pulled herself from the ground and pulled her blaster pointing it at Aisha as Rocky closed on her from behind.

"Please give up Aisha," Shawna pleaded. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Okay," Aisha replied as her armor became visible.

Shawna knelt in front of Aisha holstering her blaster.

"Are you okay?" Shawna asked.

Aisha suddenly sprung forward and tackled Shawna rolling onto her back keeping Shawna's body between her and Rocky.

"Shawna!" Rocky shouted.

"You are way too trusting," Aisha said slamming her helmet into Shawna's face.

Shawna's head jerked back as Aisha wrapped around her body. Rocky quickly rushed over, holstering his blaster, trying to pull Shawna off of the Phantom Ranger. Aisha struggled trying to hold onto Shawna as Rocky wrapped his arms around her waist trying to pull her back.

Suddenly Shawna screamed and slammed her forehead into Aisha's helmet. Aisha's head slammed into the floor, the visor cracking from the force as the bodies of both went limp for a second. Rocky pulled Shawna back rolling her to one side as he fell on Aisha, straddling her, keeping her arms pinned under his legs.

"Get her feet!" Rocky shouted.

Shawna snapped out of her daze and lunged forward, landing on Aisha's legs and laying across her knees. Rocky pulled his blaster and pressed it against the base of Aisha's chin.

"Power down now," Rocky ordered.

"You won't shoot," Aisha said mocking him. "After all, I'm you're friend."

Rocky slammed his fist down into the front of Aisha's faceplate cracking the mask even further.

"Power down or I'll rip you out of your armor," Rocky said.

Aisha didn't respond. Rocky threw another hard punch into Aisha's mask; the plate shattered, raining fragments onto her face. Grabbing the inside of Aisha's mask Rocky pulled the helmet from her head and cast it to the side. Rocky holstered his blaster and wrapped his hands around her throat.

"What are you doing?!" Shawna shouted.

"When she loses consciousness she'll demorph," Rocky said as he reluctantly began to squeeze.

Rocky looked away, not able to look into the black pools that were Aisha's eyes as he tightened his grip around her throat until, after a few moments, Aisha's body reverted to normal in a flash of black light.

"Find her Morpher," Rocky said releasing her throat and getting up."

"Right," Shawna replied quietly.

"Ivann, turn off the sprinklers" Rocky ordered.

The water stopped flowing as the acknowledgement came through Rocky's com system. Shawna reached up to Aisha's right arm and pulled off the Morpher. The device was a thick black band with a small red jewel on the surface. Shawna handed it to Rocky.

"Even if she had been wearing this we probably wouldn't have noticed," Rocky said.

"I wish we had noticed something was wrong before it came to all this," Shawna said.

Suddenly Rocky was hit from behind as Aisha threw a roundhouse to his back. The Morpher clattered to the floor and Rocky fell forward. Aisha dove for the Morpher, but Shawna turned and lashed out with a backhand hitting Aisha in the side of the head. Aisha flew back into the corner slamming into the wall with a thud before falling to the ground; blood trickled down the side of her face.

"Oh my god!" Shawna said cupping her hands over her mouth.

"We need to get her to the Medical Bay," Rocky said coming to his feet.

Leaving the Morpher on the floor of the cargo bay Rocky and Shawna gathered up Aisha and headed for the lift.

"Ivann, unlock the lift." Rocky demanded.

"Acknowledged,"

With the lift door sliding open the two Rangers quickly carried Aisha in.

"Medical Bay!" Shawna said in a panic.

Green braced himself, the force of Lokar's breath pressing against him as some toxic agent corroded his armor. Stepping forward Lokar hurled a sphere of lightning at the Psycho Ranger. Green blocked with his sword as Lokar tossed another at him. Green stepped back as Lokar continued his advance, throwing a steady barrage of lightning at the Psycho Ranger. Green blocked each attack, consuming the energy with the endless hunger of his sword.

Suddenly Lokar's left hand lifted as he hurled another orb of lightning at the Psycho Ranger. Metal scrap leapt from the ground and speared into Psycho Green's back, punching through his chest. Green smiled wide at Lokar as a dark syrup dribbled from his mouth. With a screech Green fired the metal fragments from his chest toward Lokar, the wounds healing immediately.

Lokar's hand swept through the air casting the fragments off into the distance as burning shards of stone began to rain from the sky, pitting the ground. Lokar started to laugh as the torrent grew heavier, covering the ground in fire. Green rushed through the flames, the burning stones shattering in splashes of magma and embers as they beat against his armor.

Green hurled a burning ball of plasma at Lokar, but the sorcerer stretched out his arm dispersing the energy into the air in a shower of blazing streaks. Green swung his sword attempting to take the sorcerer's arm, but Lokar unleashed a tempest flinging Green back into the side of a building; his body hitting with such force that he flew through the building destroying the walls as the structure collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Green suddenly leapt from behind the building howling with laughter as he slung a fireball at Lokar, which was deflected by the sorcerer as Green threw another, Lokar moved to repel this attack as well when the ground erupted in an explosion of jagged thorns. Lokar jumped back from the strange protrusions as they burst into green flames. Green landed amidst the spines, his sword pointed at Lokar. The sorcerer raised his hands directing his storm of fire and concentrating it on Green. The thorns suddenly grew, providing a protective covering for Green as the hail of burning rock tore them apart.

Psycho Green raced from the splintering shell lashing out at Lokar as the ground suddenly shook with tremendous force. Lokar and Green were both cast aside, Lokar's rain of fire dispersing, as the palace erupted in a flash of white light, the blast wave wiping out nearby buildings near the crater's edge and damaging many more before the energy abruptly dispersed into the sky.

Lokar came to his feet, his eyes fixed on Green, who was lying on the ground. With a shout Lokar sent a long spear projecting from his hand, punching it through Green's chest. The Psycho Ranger lurched for a moment before going limp. Lokar pulled the spear back and thrust it forward again, puncturing Green's heart. Again he pulled it back and plunged the weapon through Green's head with a shout. Lokar pulled back watching as Green sat motionless, thick black blood saturated the ground around him.

Suddenly Green began to laugh, his blood choked cackle growing in intensity. Lokar sent a barrage of jagged spines at Green, the long spikes spearing through Green's torso, and finally through his neck slamming his head into the ground and ending his laughter with a gurgle. Lokar was breathing heavy as he watched Green, looking for any sign of movement. Seeing nothing the sorcerer extended his hand, the earth opened up swallowing Green's body and then closing over him with a rumbling thud.

Lokar began to storm forward eager to rejoin the battle that still raged to the east. The battlefield where he and Green had fought now littered with the bodies of both enemy and ally, but this was of little consequence as more Putties began to rise from the ground around Lokar as he marched forward. The wild fire in his eyes had calmed, becoming a burning determination to strike down those who would defy Lord Zedd and destroy his palace.

Lokar suddenly stopped in his tracks as psychotic laughter tore through the air, the horrid dissonance rung over the landscape drowning out the distant din of battle. Lokar turned to see Psycho Green pulling himself from the earth; spines still bulged from his body like thorns and a runny black mud oozed down his armor. As Green stepped out onto the ground, free from his tomb, the spines launched from his body spearing through the Putties that surrounded Lokar before he charged forward swinging furiously.

Lokar reached out, blocking the first swing of Green's sword, the Psycho Ranger still laughing like a madman. Green slashed a second time, but as Lokar moved to deflect the attack Green vanished in a clap of thunder. Lokar was puzzled for a moment, whirling around in time to see Green descending on him from behind. With no time to block Lokar began to dive forward to evade, but Green was too fast; with a crackle of energy streaming from the Savage Sword Green impaled Lokar on the blade, driving it through his back and out his chest into the ground.

The sorcerer roared as he lashed his arms back furiously, his finger tips flickering with lightning as he attempted to strike at Green. The Psycho Ranger quickly took hold of his wrist and slammed his foot into Lokar's back. With a burst of strength Psycho Green tore Lokar's arms from their sockets at the shoulders. Green roared with laughter as he cast Lokar's arms aside and pulled his sword from the sorcerer's back. Lokar fell to his knees turning to face Green. Blood poured from his robes, his eyes burned with hatred as they fixed on the Psycho Ranger.

With a cry of delight Green took his sword with both hands and swung it in an arc loping Lokar's head from his neck. The Savage Sword flared with power as Lokar's body slumped to the ground. Green was hysterical as immense power coursed over his body. Dropping to his knees the Psycho Ranger raised his head to look at the sky, his laughter echoing across the city as the last drops of the dying rainstorm ran down his face. As the waves of energy subsided, Green's demeanor changed suddenly. He leapt to his feet, turning his attention to the east and, with a thunderous burst, was gone.

"We're almost out of room to fallback," Tommy said firing another burst through the body of the Machine Empire walker.

The walker exploded as internally stored munitions detonated setting off a chain reaction that reduced the walker to flaming shrapnel, its remains tearing through nearby buildings and puncturing other walkers. The Q-Rex was now at the edge of the battle that was raging on the eastern edge of, what was once the palace. Cogs had already begun to move passed the Zords and join the battle at the crater's fringe.

"I'm picking up some seismic vibrations," Trip reported. "It's more than just the advancing forces, though it could just be residual vibrations from the palace's destruction."

The Time Shadow broke from its cloaking field plunging its blade deep into the back of another of the Machine Empire walkers before once again fading from sight as the monstrous construct tumbled forward.

Velocifighters raced overhead dropping a heavy payload of explosives on the columns of enemy units. Flames blanketed the terrain as Cogs and Quadrawalkers were torn to pieces, others lost limbs, or began to melt in the intense heat.

Suddenly the ground broke open in several places as over a dozen walkers plummeted down below the streets. Explosions ruptured from the holes as the worker beetles of the Vora emerged from beneath the streets, spearing the Machine Empire walkers with their mammoth horns; the insects ripped them apart with little effort.

Fire from the Machine Empire surged forward punching multiple holes in the hardened carapace of the beetles as chunks of chitin and orange flesh spewed from the wounds. One of the immense creatures collapsed, causing the ground to shake as smaller warrior insects scurried over the corpse, their flailing limbs digging into the advancing Cogs, rending circuits from steel in a flurry of sparks.

Fissures began to open as more Vora poured from the earth falling upon the Machine Empire forces mercilessly. Sting Wings took to the skies latching onto Quadrafighters and ripping the pilots from the open-topped craft in a mess of shredded metal and wiring. Velocifighters began regrouping to provide support for the flood of reinforcements streaming up from the ground.

Trip landed on another of the walkers, running his blade through it before one of the beetles suddenly lunged up at him, knocking the Time Shadow to the ground as its huge tusk pierced through the Zord's waist. Trip lashed out with his sword arm, cutting the enormous horn from the beetles head. The creature reeled back as another raced forward shoving its horn through the chest of the Zord.

"I have to eject!" Trip shouted as he took hold of Circuit and fired the emergency escape system.

Trip was catapulted into the air away from the battle. As he flew through the air a Sting Wing clipped him, cutting a deep gash into his left arm before the back of the chair spun around smashing the warrior in the head, sending the creature spiraling to the ground. Impact bags deployed as Trip crashed to the ground near the western edge of the city. As the chair came to a stop the bags began deflating as Trip unfastened his harness with his good arm. Blood was pouring down his armor on the left arm covering his glove in a crimson slick as large drops fell to the ground. Pulling himself from his chair he took refuge in the debris as Circuit began tending to his wound. A small laser flipped out from Circuit's chest as Circuit set the cutting tool for a low output. Trip fell to the ground with his back against a large slab of rock. As Circuit worked quickly to cauterize the wound Trip pulled his blaster and held it against his chest.

"Hurry Circuit," Trip whispered; his vision blurring.

Tommy brought the Q-Rex around planting a foot into the melee below, crushing a large number of warriors under the Zord's immense weight. On the ground below he could see Jason and the others carving paths of fierce carnage through the hordes of warriors that had converged on this location.

Suddenly a bolt of green dropped into the middle of the fray sending out a shockwave that tore through hundreds of warriors creating a clearing.

Jason shielded his eyes as a wash of green energy swept over him obliterating all the enemies around him. As the light faded he found himself standing in the open with the other Rangers, who were also perplexed. When the light finally died out Josh was standing at the center of the calm, Kimberly held close to his side.

"Is it over?" Jason called out running toward them.

"No," Josh replied shaking his head.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked racing over, the others following her.

"I need you to protect Kimberly," Josh said looking directly at Jason.

"But I thought…" Jason began.

"I know," Josh replied cutting him off. "And I'm going to need her, but this next part I have to do alone."

"But what if you need me and I'm not there?" Kimberly protested.

"You will be," Josh said turning to her. "I'm certain of it, but I need you here right now, I'm asking you to trust me."

"Okay," Kimberly replied quietly with a nod.

"I'll be back," Josh promised as he vanished with a crack of thunder.

"Uh, guys," Adam began.

Jason looked up to see forces closing from all sides as the temporary calm that Josh had created was being swallowed by the tide of battle once again. Kimberly manifested her bow and unleashed a hail of darts piercing the bodies of all manner of creatures as the abominations dropped to the ground or dissolved into embers.

Tommy watched from above as the hordes of enemies closed around the other Rangers. The Q-Rex's foot thundered down again, crushing throngs of the warriors beneath it. Q-Rex suddenly shook as instrument panels lit red. Before Tommy knew what was happening the forward screen went black and he could feel his body accelerating. The cockpit trembled violently and Tommy's head snapped back, his whole body jarred, as he came to a sudden stop. He looked around frantically for any vital information to be gleaned. All readouts showed that the Q-Rex had been destroyed.

"That's not possible," Tommy said pulling back on the controls only to find them unresponsive.

The forward screen flickered to life confirming Tommy's fears. He could still see the battle raging on the ground, only now his enemies were at eye level. Tommy blew the hatch and pulled himself from the cockpit of the Q-Rex.

Shocked, he discovered that the Q-Rex's head had been severed from the main body which still stood unsteadily above him. As he climbed out he pulled his Quantum Defender, carefully panning around him as he stepped forward and dropped down. No sooner had he set foot on the ground than a deafening boom radiated from behind him and debris swarmed around his body, a harsh wind blowing up as the body of the Q-Rex collapsed to the ground.

"Tommy get out of there!" he heard Jason yell through his com.

Tommy turned as a wave of dust washed over him. Then through the darkness Tommy could hear a strange sound, it almost sounded like laughter.

Lord Zedd stood on the plateau that had once held his palace. The column of stone was now much lower to the ground, standing less than half its former height. Below him flames burned white hot as the remnants of the slave district burned, steam still rising from the depths. Someone would pay for this atrocity.

Behind him the ground shook and he suddenly became aware of another presence.

"I thought the explosion might have finished you off," Lord Zedd said, not even bothering to turn around.

"You should be so fortunate," Josh replied.

"What chance do you think you have now that you don't have your pink friend?" Zedd replied turning to face the Green Ranger.

"Actually," Josh replied cracking his neck as his naganata manifested in a blaze of green light. "Now that she's out of harm's way I can really cut lose."


	23. Chapter 23

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-23-

The doors to the Medical Bay opened as Zhane stepped through. Rocky and Shawna were standing on either side of the single bed located in the small room, watching Aisha's vital signs. Their helmets were removed and sitting on a small table by the door. Zhane couldn't help but notice the lack of restraints on Aisha. He knew she was their friend, but they couldn't afford mistakes.

"Ivann, medical restraints," Zhane said as he walked over.

Bands extended from the bed binding down Aisha's wrists and feet before two thicker belts wrapped around her waist and thighs ensuring her immobility.

"You need to remember that she is your enemy right now," Zhane said.

"She doesn't have her Morpher any longer," Rocky replied. "And she's hurt."

"And where is her Morpher?" Zhane asked.

"It must still be in the cargo bay," Shawna replied looking around.

"And that's why you need to be careful," Zhane said trying to be civil. "If she had escaped and found her Morpher again she would be loose on the ship."

"I'm sorry," Shawna replied. "I guess I just didn't think about it."

"We did find this when she was scanned," Rocky said extending his hand.

Zhane took the small golden object from Rocky. He flipped the box over. There was a small indentation in the center where a black jewel sparkled unnaturally.

"This is another Morpher," Zhane said a little shocked.

"It looks like the one Adam has except it's gold," Shawna replied.

"And there's no coin," Rocky added.

"No," Zhane agreed. "But it does appear to have a power source of some kind." Zhane stared at the small gem for a moment before coming back to the reason he had come down. "I need to get planet side. I brought the Mega Wing into low orbit on the far side of the planet, away from the fighting, you should be safe here, but just in case Ivann is programmed to escape if attacked. I'm going down to the cargo bay to retrieve the other Morpher and then lock both of these up before I go."

"Her Morpher is a black wrist band with a red jewel on it," Shawna said as Zhane turned to leave.

"Alright, thanks," Zhane replied. "I hope she's going to be alright. Just be careful. You don't want to let your guard down, and there's still a war out there."

"Thanks," Rocky replied. "We'll be careful."

"Ivann, cargo bay two." Zhane said.

The lift doors slid closed behind him leaving Rocky and Shawna alone in the Medical Bay.

Tommy was lost in the storm of black dust that had engulfed him, he knew Jason and the others were behind him somewhere, but with the thick cloud all around he couldn't see anything. The laughter that had seemed faint at first had grown in intensity to hysteric levels. The worst of it was that in this haze he couldn't tell what direction the sound was coming from.

"This is bad," Tommy said under his breath as he slowly began to step back.

Suddenly a flash of green light lashed out from the darkness heading straight for Tommy. Before Tommy could even react something moved between him and the green energy, the attack exploded in a flash of white as the dust was suddenly dispersed with the force of a hurricane. Zordon stood before Tommy holding back Green's sword with his own staff.

"Tommy, get back," Zordon ordered.

Tommy wanted to argue, but the power radiating from the Psycho Ranger in wisps of dark green mist was enough to convince Tommy he was no match for this monster. As he turned to run Green broke away from Zordon and leapt over the wizard coming after Tommy. The Quantum Ranger dove to the ground as Green's sword slashed through the air above his head. Tommy rolled to his feet converting his Quantum Defender to saber mode preparing for Green's next strike. Green, however, had moved passed him, rushing into the open battlefield cutting down warriors with gleeful abandon.

"Tommy, are you alright?" Jason shouted as he and the other Rangers ran toward him.

"Yeah," Tommy replied watching Green slaughter the enemy effortlessly.

"What are we going to do about that thing?" Trey asked coming to Jason's side.

"We must be very careful in dealing with this one," Zordon said joining the Rangers. "He possesses the Savage Sword, an ancient weapon forged millennia ago. It consumes the power of whomever it cuts and imparts their power to the wielder. A single reckless move may prove fatal."

"This is going to take all of us," Jason said. "We'll attack in teams to keep his focus divided. Ashley you go with Trey; I'll take Adam; Billy, go with Tommy; that leaves Zordon and Kimberly." There were a series of uneasy nods from the other Rangers. "Watch each other's backs; remember this thing just took down a Zord." Jason said. With those final words Jason led the charge, the other Rangers following closely behind as they rushed into the wide opening Psycho Green had created.

Zordon and Kimberly took the lead, rushing ahead of the others. Kimberly drew back on her bow letting loose with several shots as Zordon fired a stream of white flame from the head of his staff. Green turned to face the attack; swinging his sword through the air at frightening speeds Green cut through Kimberly's bolts, consuming their power as Zordon's strike was blocked and devoured by the onyx black surface of the blade.

Jason and Adam leapt over Kimberly and Zordon. Adam immediately brought his axe up firing a shot from his cannon into Green's chest. The Psycho Ranger barely moved as the attack detonated on his armor, the minor damage healing before the flames had even subsided. Jason slashed with his sword, but Green brought up his massive blade blocking the strike before knocking Jason's sword away. Jason and Adam both leapt back as Green stepped in to attack.

Tommy and Billy came around from the right side, slashing at Green's sword arm as the Psycho Ranger attempted to hit Jason and Adam. Their blades cut into the thick black armor, but no sooner had the cut formed than it closed behind their strikes.

"This is going to be a problem." Billy said as he and Tommy jumped back.

Trey rushed Green, Ashley following close behind him. As the Gold Ranger met Green, their weapons clashing in a tempest of energy, Ashley flipped over Trey and the Psycho Ranger landing behind him. With a shout she plunged her daggers into Green's back. The Psycho Ranger twirled around slamming his left arm into Ashley sending her flying back into a Putty; the force of the impact shattering the golem.

"Ashley!" Kimberly screamed.

Trey jumped back as Green came at him. Jason and Adam stepped passed Trey catching Green's attack with their weapons. Suddenly a section of earth shot up slamming into Green's stomach and catapulting him into the air. A blaze of pink darts flew through the sky tracking his movement and riddling him with arrows. Green fell to the ground, hitting hard.

Kimberly ran to Ashley's side, helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

"Mostly," Ashley said finding her footing. "Just a little bruised."

The other Rangers moved to form up on Kimberly and Ashley. Green was already on his feet slaying anything near him.

"We're just not doing enough damage," Billy said. "He's regenerating almost as fast as we can hurt him."

"And that sword of his is also absorbing a lot of the energy from our attacks." Trey added.

"Zordon, do you know of any weakness with the sword that might help?" Jason asked.

"I do not," Zordon replied gravely. "It was an unbeatable weapon. When it was lost we hoped we would be rid of it forever."

"If we could separate Psycho Green from his sword would that stop him?" Billy asked.

"It would have to be a considerable distance now that the weapon has bonded with him." Zordon replied.

"How far?" Jason asked.

"I couldn't say," Zordon replied. "When it is first awoken the blade must remain in the wielder's hand, but as it grows more powerful the distance it can remain tethered to its host increases."

"Options, Billy?" Jason asked turning to the Blue Ranger.

"We don't have our Zords, or anything capable of sustained flight," Billy said. "The best we could hope for is to restrain Psycho Green while one of us took the sword as far away as possible."

"Can't you just send him or the sword somewhere else Zordon?" Adam asked.

"No," Zordon replied. "As long as the weapon is bound to him the Savage Sword would only consume the energy of any gateway growing even more powerful."

"Then it looks like we'll just have to get the sword away first and worry about the rest after that." Jason said turning toward Green. "But the longer we wait the more powerful he grows."

"Same tactics as before?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "Now let's do it!"

The Rangers rushed forward, weapons drawn as Green cut down a hundred warriors with a single swipe of his blade. As they approached he turned to face them, his eyes burning bright green behind his mask. Green raised his sword and with a cackle charged forward to meet the Rangers.

Adam was the first to make contact, bringing his axe up in a double-handed strike catching Psycho Green's attack. Behind the Black Ranger a small column of stone rose from the ground smashing into the flat of the blade, driving Green's arm back. As the sword flew back, leaving Green's arm wide open Jason charged in bringing his blade down on Green's forearm. The sword flared bright as the blade sliced through Green's arm severing the limb. Kimberly unleashed several bolts puncturing Green's neck.

The sword began to fly lose, the hand still wrapped around the hilt as Jason spun putting his shoulder into Green's chest. Suddenly black tendrils lashed out from Green's arm boring into the severed hand and pulling the appendage back.

Jason grabbed Adam and dove to the ground as Green brought the sword back around in a wild slash, howling with rage.

"I don't think he liked that," Billy said coming to a stop in a defensive stance.

With a shriek Green raised his hands to the sky.

"Oh no," was all that managed to escape Tommy's lips.

Lord Zedd tightened his grip on his weapon as he faced off against the Green Ranger. He doubted the Green Ranger had any other abilities that were not yet revealed; however, it concerned him that he had survived this long, not to mention his growing immunity to the defensive power of his armor.

"Your life ends here Green Ranger!" Lord Zedd roared charging forward.

Josh dropped his naganata toward the ground, catching the shaft with his foot as both his hands came up releasing a blast of green energy before he kicked his weapon up, taking it in his hand again. The energy blast struck Lord Zedd in the chest, robbing the Dark Lord of his momentum as the ground around was blasted to dust in the explosion. Before Lord Zedd could recover Josh charged in, the edges of his blades burning with an ominous green light. The first attack slashed across Zedd's chest, carving a small notch in the armor. Zedd blocked the second strike before throwing a roundhouse. Josh dropped under the roundhouse and attempted a sweep, but Lord Zedd leapt from the ground.

As Lord Zedd landed Josh came to his feet. Zedd threw a punch into Josh's chest, but the Green Ranger caught it and flipped Lord Zedd over his shoulder driving him hard into the rock, cracking the ground. Zedd flipped back, kicking Josh in the face as he rolled up onto his feet and turned to face his opponent. Josh recovered quickly and lunged forward bringing his naganata down on Lord Zedd.

Zedd moved aside as the attack struck the ground carving a huge gouge into the rock. Josh quickly came around with another strike, slashing the blade at the Dark Lord's head. Zedd caught the attack and parried it as he threw a kick into Josh's chest. Josh block with the other end of his naganata and whipped the weapon up knocking Zedd off balance and sending him toppling over.

Josh leapt into the air, away from Zedd as he whirled his naganata around in a figure eight. All around the two warriors a spinning cyclone began to grow as thick clouds began to form above them. Lightning flashed as Lord Zedd came to his feet. Suddenly a bolt flew from the cloud and struck Lord Zedd, the convulsion knocking him from his feet.

"Clever," Lord Zedd muttered as he raised a hand.

A column of stone suddenly snaked from the ground weaving up into the air toward Josh. The Green Ranger kicked off it, flipping up on top of it, but as he landed the column twisted back around and slammed into his back knocking him to the ground. Josh slammed face first into the ground as the rock twisted like a snake and raced down toward him. Josh rolled aside as the front of the column smashed into the ground.

The Green Ranger leapt to his feet slashing out with his naganata, cutting through the rock in several places as the huge sections of the stone cylinder collapsed to the ground. As the rock smashed apart on the ground Zedd raced forward slashing at the Green Ranger. Josh jumped back, flipping over the attack as he landed just beyond Lord Zedd's reach before he hurled his naganata at the Dark Lord.

Zedd dodged the attack; the naganata spinning passed him as Josh rushed forward, pulling his swords from their sheaths. Zedd's sword blade met his in a violent explosion of energy as the two warriors were thrust back from each other. Josh sheathed his wakizashi, catching his returning naganata. The naganata vanished in a flash of light as he charged forward with his katana.

Lord Zedd blocked his strike and spun his weapon around striking with the other blade. In a flash Josh had pulled a tanto dagger from his belt and blocked the strike before slashing as Zedd's neck with the katana. Zedd was unable to block and the sword carved a small gash into the gorget as the blade was deflected.

Zedd lashed out with a backhand knocking Josh onto the ground as he rolled across the plateau. The Green Ranger quickly leapt to his feet as Lord Zedd charged in slashing with his sword in a windmill fashion. Josh parried the first strike and spun passed Lord Zedd as he deflected the second. Josh threw a roundhouse into Lord Zedd's back knocking the Dark Lord forward. Zedd turned swinging with a wide hook, but Josh quickly ducked under the strike, sheathing his katana as he manifested his naganata once again.

Josh leapt up slamming the shaft of the weapon into Lord Zedd's chest. As Zedd staggered back Josh twirled the weapon around slashing at Zedd's chest, but he was blocked as Zedd countered, bringing his weapon around attempting to slash at Josh with the other end.

Josh jumped into the air, flipping over Lord Zedd and landing behind him as he lashed out again with his weapon. Zedd brought his sword up over his head and caught the strike behind his back. As Josh pulled back and struck again Zedd turned and blocked his attack, parrying the blade to the side.

Josh stepped back recovering quickly as Lord Zedd stepped forward thrusting his sword at the Green Ranger. Josh parried the sword aside, the blade missing his body by inches, before throwing a side kick into Zedd's stomach. Zedd's feet slid back a short distance as the Dark Lord held his ground against the Green Ranger.

"I will admit I have underestimated you," Zedd said, his burning eyes fixed on the Green Ranger. "But I grow tired of this game."

With those words Lord Zedd shot forward in a sudden burst of speed slamming his palm into the Green Ranger's chest. With an explosion of force Josh flew back like a rocket, sailing across the crater and impacting on the far wall. Lord Zedd began to laugh as the Green Ranger's body slid down the edge of the crater before tumbling into the pit below.

Lord Zedd's laughter was abruptly cut short as a clap of thunder echoed through the basin. Zedd caught only a glimpse of green before something struck his chest sending him flying back into the opposite crater wall. As Lord Zedd smashed through the side of the wall, embedding in the rock he could see the visage of the Green Ranger standing on the plateau watching him. With a frustrated growl Zedd launched himself forward leaping back to the column.

"What is your game?" Zedd demanded as he landed in front of the Green Ranger, brandishing his weapon.

"Only a fool shows the enemy everything without cause," Josh replied coldly.

"You will never win," Lord Zedd said; his voice full of scorn. "My Empire is built on the bodies of warrior like you who thought they could defy me. I am power incarnate! I am invincible! I am a GOD!" Lord Zedd roared as he raced forward.

Josh stepped out, throwing a punch at Lord Zedd as he flew at Josh, his sword drawn back. Josh's fist connected as Lord Zedd brought his sword down. Josh dropped his naganata blocking the strike with his katana. As the blows connected there was a thunderous roar as if hundreds of warheads had exploded. The plateau exploded in a shower of rock as both warriors were thrown back to opposite sides of the crater.

Josh landed against the wall, planting his feet on the side as he saw Lord Zedd across the crater, flipping over backward before landing on the opposite wall. A brief glance passed between them before they shot from the walls toward each other, shouting as they drew their weapons back preparing to strike.

Andros was sitting in the corner of a dark room beneath the city. The only light came from a pale yellow glow stick that sat on the floor at his feet next to a medical kit. Through the use of his seismic scanner he had found a building with several sublevels; it wasn't as good as a bunker, but it would provide some protection. Next to him Karone was lying on the ground, Andros' jacket was wrapped around her to provide her with some heat retention.

Above, Andros could hear the sounds of the advancing armies, the walls and floor shook as footfall struck and explosions detonated. Even three levels down Andros could still hear the sounds of the battle outside. He wished he could get a message to the other Rangers, but all his communicator returned was static. Karone was in critical condition, even though he had managed to stop the bleeding and give her something to help stabilize her condition she needed real medical treatment.

Andros ran his hand along the side of his sister's face, his eyes glistening as the hopelessness of the situation pressed in on him like a dark cloud. Karone made a soft noise as her body stirred slightly.

"Karone?" Andros called softly while still trying to talk over the drone of the war outside.

"Who…?" she replied so faintly Andros could barely make it out.

"It's me, Andros, your brother."

"Brother?" she replied softly, her eyes still closed.

"You were kidnapped as a child, by Darkonda; I've been looking for you for ten years."

"Where?" she asked coughing as she struggled to talk.

"On the edge of the forest on KO-Thirty-five,"

Karone shook her head, "Where are we?" she asked.

"We're below the city; you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Andros replied, a tear running down his cheek.

"Brother?" she began, the word escaping as a sigh before she fell silent.

"Karone?" Andros checked her pulse. He couldn't find one. "Karone!"

Reaching into the medical kit he pulled out a small green disc. Unfastening the jacket wrapped around Karone he took a knife and cut a small slit down the front of her body suit to the middle of her sternum. He pressed the disc against her chest running his finger along the edge, activating a touch switch.

The device sprang to life as a green light rimmed the disc. Tiny micro filaments stretched from the device and into Astronema's flesh attaching to her heart and lungs. With the connections complete tiny pulses were sent out stimulating the heart and lungs. Andros sat back as Karone inhaled. It was only a temporary solution, in half an hour the device would be out of power. He had to figure out something before that.

"Just hang on Karone," he said as the tears ran down his face. "I'm not going to lose you."

The Machine Empire fleet had drawn back toward the Moon where The Machina had crashed. The remnants of the Thirty-seventh fleet held position in high orbit above the planet unwilling to advance into the range of The Machina's weapon arrays.

Ships on both sides were battered and heavily damaged. A Machine Empire Cog held its position, the hull of the ship little more than a tangled mess of beams and shredded armor, as it rotated the glow of the reactor core was visible from the center of the ship.

The War Hammer, one of the few remaining heavy cruisers, was at the head of the Thirty-seventh. Several large gashes had been ripped in the hull, and a large hole had been blasted through the bow, destroying most of the lance batteries. Fires were burning on several decks as the mechanized crew worked furiously to extinguish them.

Suddenly the Moon began to tremble; cracks of radiant green light spread across the surface as the exterior began to break apart into large chunks of rock. Before the Machine Empire could react the asteroids picked up speed, smashing into the fleet. The Machina was torn apart as huge pieces of rock shot up from the crumbling Moon punching through the hull. The reactors ruptured and exploded in a blinding flash as over a quarter of the Moon's mass was disintegrated, taking the rest of the Machine Empire fleet with it. Sections of the moon were torn apart and large asteroids were smashed apart as material was flung from the Moon in the blast.

The Thirty-seventh began to break apart as the Moon was destroyed, becoming nothing more than a dense spray of asteroids that began accelerating toward the Earth. Two cruisers collided as they attempted to escape the web of flying debris, exploding in horrendous fireballs and sending shrapnel into other vessels.

Another ship detonated in a crimson starburst as it attempted to engage its damaged hyper drive. The blast wave rippled through local space crippling more ships as the ionic fluctuations shorted out navigation systems and overloaded reactor cores causing several more vessels to explode, their battered shells unable to bear the strain.

Many ships began launching escape pods, their commanders resigned to the inevitable fate of their vessel, while others turned to bring their broadside batteries to bear against the storm. In the end, all proved futile as the avalanche of rock plowed over the Thirty-seventh, rending vessels apart in a hail of debris before entering the atmosphere bathing the sky in a fiery red.

Tommy watched in horror as the Moon lit bright green in the sky, just over the horizon. Cracks raced over the surface as glowing specs suddenly leapt forward, highlighting the chaos in a fiery orange as they tore through the ships of the Machine Empire before a flash of white lit the sky like a miniature sun, then all was eclipsed once again in the shroud of the dark sky.

"He's insane," Adam said. "He'll kill us all."

"Maybe," Billy said, stepping back from Psycho Green.

"What do you mean maybe?" Jason asked as he and the other Rangers regrouped.

Green took a step toward them before a Sting Wing flew overhead, diverting his attention. With a laugh he raced off after the insect; leaping into the air, onto the creature's back before ripping its wings off with a delighted cackle. The two plummeted into the midst of the battle; Green came to his feet quickly as he renewed his lustful slaughter of the enemy.

"We're fortunate that he's so easily distracted," Trey said.

"Billy, what chance do we have?" Jason repeated.

"Our survival depends on several factors," Billy said. "Such as the size and number of the meteorites; the angle of entry into the atmosphere, and the concentration and the delay between impacts."

"How much mass are we talking about?" Jason asked.

"Well let me put it this way," Billy began. "If it was broken up into pieces about the weight of an automobile it would be about eighty quintillion cars; that's eighty with eighteen zeros behind it, it's enough material to cover the entire planet in roughly twenty-six vertical miles of rock, again that's assuming it all gets through."

"I need to sit down," Ashley said staggering a little, her knees feeling weak.

"I'm sorry I asked," Jason said, his voice a little shaky. "Zordon, what do we do?"

Zordon shook his head. "I could try to open a gateway, transport some of it somewhere else, but it will take time and a great deal of concentration, but even with all my strength I can not remove it all."

"Do what you can," Jason said placing his hand on Zordon's shoulder. "Kim, you cover him; everyone else, we have to get that sword."

Kimberly nodded as the other Rangers turned toward the battle. With a shout they charged back into the fray cutting through enemy warriors in an attempt to reach Psycho Green. Zordon kneeled on the ground laying his staff horizontally in front of him as he bowed his head and began to recite an incantation.

Jason smashed through a Piranhatron as he flew at Green with a wide, arcing slash. Green ducked under the attack and lashed out with his left arm as he speared his sword through the body of a Cog. Jason flew back slamming into a rock reducing it to rubble as he hit it.

Stone showered the ground as Adam swung down with his axe into Green's back, but the blade sparked as it bounced off the golden crest that ran around Green's upper body. Adam could feel the vibrations coursing through his body as Green turned and threw a roundhouse into his chest, catapulting him back into Jason, who was just coming to his feet. Jason braced himself, but both Rangers tumbled back, rolling to a stop a short distance away.

Tommy and Billy both broke through the enemy lines thrusting their weapons at Green's chest, but the Psycho Ranger turned and parried their attacks. Tommy dove to the ground as Green swung wildly at him, the blade moving so fast it was barely perceivable. Billy jumped back before Green was able to attack him.

As Tommy and Billy regrouped Ashley and Trey leapt over them. Trey unleashed a blast from his staff temporarily blinding Green as he slammed the head of his staff across Green's face. The Psycho Ranger staggered slightly in his disorientation as Ashley landed to his left and swept him, knocking him off his feet. Trey stepped in as Green fell pressing the bladed end of his staff through the Psycho Ranger's neck. Green gurgled with amusement as he snapped to his feet, the staff still in his neck. Trey tried to pull his weapon back as Green rushed at him, slamming his shoulder into the Gold Ranger's chest.

Trey flew back, ripping his weapon from the Psycho Ranger's neck as Green rushed after him. Trey hit the ground and quickly rolled to his feet, swinging his staff out to block Green's strike. Psycho Green struck his staff, knocking it high before throwing a spinning crescent kick into his stomach. Trey folded around the kick as Green's strike propelled him across the battlefield into the side of a building.

The other Rangers rushed in, firing on Green with their blasters. Green immediately turned toward them and charged in, the plasma bolts bursting in flashes of crimson against his armor.

Psycho Green plowed into Jason, slamming the hilt of his sword into the Red Ranger's head shattering the side of his helmet as he was knocked back into Adam's legs. Adam staggered as Jason hit him; Psycho Green took advantage of the situation, slashing his talons deep into the Black Ranger's chest as he rushed passed him, ripping through his armor and emblem as blood flew from the wound in streaks. Adam screamed as he fell to his knees. Billy lashed out with his lance, but Green ducked under it rushing passed him. Once passed Billy the Psycho Ranger brought his arm back, slamming his elbow blade into the back of Billy's shoulder, the serrated tusk pierced through the back, coming out the front. Green pulled it out as Billy dropped to the ground clutching his arm.

Tommy slashed at Green with his Quantum Defender, but the Psycho Ranger caught his sword arm and thrust his knee up into Tommy's torso cracking several rips. Tommy fell to the ground on his hands and knees coughing up a mouthful of blood. Ashley was shaking as Green came to her; her daggers were thrust up in defense as Green came down on her.

Suddenly Trey's form appeared behind Psycho Green, his staff coming down on the Psycho Ranger's head. As if by precognition Green turned from Ashley, throwing a roundhouse into Trey's staff, knocking it aside before he slashed out with his sword taking Trey's head.

Time slowed to a crawl as Ashley's heart began to race. Trey's body flashed in a burst of golden light as his morphed state failed, his head flying to the side as his helmet vanished. The golden staff clattered to the ground as it closed into the small golden icon once again. The Savage Sword shimmered with golden light as it drank in the power.

Psycho Green turned back toward Ashley as Trey's body fell to the ground, the Yellow Ranger dropping to her knees in shock. Twirling the monstrous weapon in his hand he smiled cruelly at Ashley as he began to laugh hysterically. The sky behind him lighting up in a fiery crimson as the storm of meteorites broke through the atmosphere.

Joshua Raine met Lord Zedd at the center of the crater, their weapons slamming together with the force of titans as a deafening boom radiated from the impact. Both warriors flew back from the force of the attack, landing on the crater wall and launching forward again with the same result. As the two rebounded off the outer wall and flew back at one another Josh twisted his body in the air slipping around Zedd's attack and slamming his naganata into Lord Zedd's back, sending him slamming into the flaming rubble below.

Josh watched as Lord Zedd vanished into the flames as his momentum carried him to the edge of the crater. Before he reached the side a dark object burst from the flames and slammed into his chest knocking him up into the air in a spin. Before he could react he felt a foot slam down on his back, sending him plunging to the ground below.

White flames raced up to greet him as he slammed into the remains of a building. The small structure exploded in a shower of debris as he smashed through it into the ground. Josh pulled himself from the rubble limping slightly. The ground shook as Lord Zedd landed behind him. Even without turning Josh could feel his gaze fixed on him.

Josh turned spinning his naganata fiercely, whipping up flames around him in a defensive ring. Lord Zedd ignored the raging flames stepping forward striking with his sword as if they did not exist. Josh blocked, their weapons clashed together with tremendous force. The ground quaked; rubble and debris were thrown out from the epicenter by the force as even the air was driven out causing a momentary vacuum. Josh pushed Zedd's weapon aside lashing out with a roundhouse to the Dark Lord's head. Zedd flew across the terrain with a clap of thunder, his body smashed through several burning buildings sending flaming debris soaring into the air.

Lord Zedd raced back at Josh, leaping across the burning landscape. Green Ranger blocked the strike as Zedd landed; his feet sliding back as he strained against the force of the attack. Zedd redoubled his efforts forcing Josh back, the Green Ranger stumbling backward trying to regain his balance.

Zedd seized this opportunity and rushed forward slashing with his sword. Josh twisted awkwardly trying to escape the strike, but the blade tore the plate from his left shoulder and cut lightly into his flesh. Josh cringed as he felt the weapon pull at his very being as it tried to consume his soul.

The Green Ranger leapt back putting some distance between him and Zedd, his arm burned from the intense heat searing his wound shut before his armor closed over his flesh, the golden shoulder plate slowly reforming. Zedd grimaced, his regeneration abilities would be a minor annoyance.

Josh attacked Lord Zedd, whipping his naganata in an arc at the Dark Lord's head, but Zedd dropped under it and slashed out with his sword. Josh leapt into the air, bringing his body to a nearly perfect horizontal state as the sword carved through the air underneath him. Lord Zedd came back up with an uppercut, but Josh planted his naganata into the ground and pushed back, narrowly avoiding Zedd's armored fist.

As Josh landed Zedd lashed out with a wild roundhouse kick. Josh clasped his hands together making a hand sign as he vanished in a flash of white smoke, Zedd's foot flew through the cloud, hitting nothing. Lord Zedd turned suddenly expecting an attack from behind, but no one was there. He whipped around again searching for his adversary. Suddenly there was a rushing of wind from above. Zedd looked up in time to see Josh coming down on him, his naganata thrust down like a spear. Lord Zedd raised the flat of his blade to block, the naganata's razor edge sparking off its dark surface as Josh's feet touched down on the sword before flipping off it backward and landing in front of Zedd.

Zedd leapt forward with a spin kick, Josh raised his arm, blocking the strike with his forearm, the force from the impact blasting away all debris from around them. Josh thrust his naganata blade forward, but Zedd parried the attack aside as he brought the top of his weapon down on the Green Ranger. Josh sidestepped the attack as he twirled his naganata, cutting a small notch into Zedd's armor just below the shoulder. Josh whirled his blade back around coming down on Lord Zedd's head. The Dark Lord raised his double ended sword to block. Josh slammed his weapon down on the blade before wind-milling it around and striking the other blade.

Josh suddenly flipped the rotation of his weapon slashing the blade upward. Zedd brought his sword down, the naganata blade slamming into the shaft of the sword. Josh's naganata flared with green energy as a flash of an ethereal dragon wound around the blade. With a crack of thunder and an ominous roar the blade sliced upward cutting the massive weapon into twin swords.

Lord Zedd staggered back, eyeing the Green Ranger as he flipped the blades around in his hands and took up a defensive stance. Josh stepped back holding his naganata horizontally behind him as he extended his left hand out toward Zedd. Lord Zedd growled as he charged forward swinging his blades in like scissors. Josh leapt back flipping over the strike as he slashed with his naganata from his inverted position. Zedd quickly shifted one of his swords up, blocking the strike.

Josh landed a short distance from Lord Zedd hurling a burning sphere of energy at the Dark Lord. Zedd deflected the attack with his swords, casting the attack behind him. Josh rushed forward as the orb exploded behind Lord Zedd in a giant fireball. The Green Ranger attacked high with his naganata; Lord Zedd blocked the strike before slashing at Josh with his other sword. Josh twisted around his naganata letting Zedd's strike hit the shaft of the weapon before he kicked the lower blade, spinning the weapon around as he parried both of Lord Zedd's swords to the ground, pinning them beneath his naganata. Whirling around with a reverse crescent kick Josh slammed his heel into Lord Zedd's back knocking him into a heap of burning rubble.

Zedd leapt to his feet with a roar as he hurled one of his blades at the Green Ranger. Josh dove to the ground rolling under the spinning sword before coming up, swinging his naganata up at Lord Zedd's face. Zedd stepped back parrying the strike to the side as his sword spun back to him. Josh split his legs, dropping to the ground as the returning weapon flew over his head before springing back to his feet and thrusting the shaft of his weapon at Zedd. The Dark Lord blocked, his swords catching either end of the weapon as the two push against one another.

Suddenly Josh relaxed his stance and slid his weapon up and over the top of Lord Zedd's swords as he fell over backward pulling Zedd down with him. Josh hit the ground in a roll thrusting his feet up into Zedd's stomach as he threw Zedd high into the air. Green Ranger rolled back up onto his feet and shot into the air aiming for Lord Zedd. The two met in midair as Josh swung his naganata hard, holding it at the far end. Zedd brought his swords down to block; the weapons smashed together in a furious explosion of energy. The force of the attack knocked Josh's naganata down spinning him around toward the Dark Lord as he lashed out with an axe kick sending Zedd flying into the ground below.

Zedd smashed into the ground scattering burning rock into the sky as Josh rapidly descended upon him. Josh flew through the debris smashing it aside with his naganata in a fierce series of strikes and spins. The Green Ranger slammed down onto the ground as Zedd was coming to his feet. Lord Zedd charged forward, his swords wide, slashing in at Josh with both swords again. Josh spun his naganata knocking the left sword high while pinning the right to the ground before throwing a reverse roundhouse into Lord Zedd's chest.

The Dark Lord flew back smashing into the crater wall, the Green Ranger immediately rushing forward to cover the distance between them. Lord Zedd jumped from the wall slashing in with his right sword followed by his left. Josh met the attack, the blades of his naganata flaring again with a bright jade light as the spirit of the dragon filled the weapon. He struck high blocking the first strike as Zedd's blade exploded in a hail of black shards as the dragon's roar reverberated in the basin. Before Zedd could react to what had transpired Josh met Zedd's second attack splintering the onyx blade into jagged slivers.

As the second blade shattered Josh's naganata vanished in a flash of emerald light as the Green Ranger rotated his arms, drawing them back before he slammed both fists forward into Lord Zedd's chest. The Dark Lord flew back into the cliff face, plowing several meters back into the hardened rock. Zedd pulled himself from the crater wall, staring in disbelief at his destroyed weapon. Joshua was standing before him, his hand outstretched in a fist. Lord Zedd tossed the broken sword hilts aside as Josh waved his hand beckoning him to attack.

"You think you've won," Zedd said with a laugh. "Without my sword you will have no hope of a quick death. Now witness true power; despair, and die."

Lord Zedd charged forward, Josh drew back unleashing a roundhouse, but Lord Zedd caught his leg with one arm and slammed his fist into the Green Ranger's chest with the other. In a flash Josh had flown clear across the base of the crater, his chest plate vanishing in an explosion of golden fragments, smashing through the remains to the central pillar and imbedding several meters into the far wall. His body was racked with pain; he struggled to breathe as he slowly began to pull himself from the wall. As he reached the entrance to his self made cave, placing his feet onto the ground, a dark object rushed toward him at incredible speed, he only had the faintest impression of the armored fist flying toward his face before the impact.

System initialization complete, memory restored; Prince Gasket's eyes began to glow as his new body came online. He slowly rose from the chair his body was attached to; cables broke free of various ports over his body, retracting back into the chair.

"Welcome back, my Prince," a machine replied kneeling before him. His voice was deep and mechanical, almost devoid of any variation in tone.

"Rise," Gasket replied.

The machine was a tall opposing warrior in black armor with a slender head that curved forward slightly as it tapered up, coming to a flat top. In the center of the face was a single red orb held in place with a silver clasp that glowed with a pale crimson light. Around the shoulders were high pauldrons held together by a silver chain that ran across the chest. Long armored slats ran down from the pauldrons creating a cloak of sorts covering his arms. On his right pauldron was a golden gear, the symbol of the Machine Empire, inside which were three red orbs. His onyx chest plate ended just below the stomach line where a series of matte gray cables ran down tightly over a series of flexible, interlocking plates to a silver belt, the clasp having the same imagery as his pauldron. The hilt of a sword was barely visible; the golden pommel was fashioned into the symbol of the empire, the handle having strange icons carved into the surface. The tops of his boots were lined with silver giving little variance to the rest of his dark armor.

"General Venjix," Gasket began. "What is our status on Earth?"

"I regret to inform you that we have lost contact with the fleet and consequently with our ground forces." Venjix reported with a shallow bow.

"Has there been any news from my father?" Gasket asked.

"None Sire."

"Very well," Gasket replied. "Assemble a small scout unit to investigate and report back to me your findings."

"As you command Sire," Venjix replied as he turned and began marching from the room.

Gasket turned to face the Warrior Core, the tall black cylinder stood out against the reflective steel surfaces around it. Two other chairs contained Queen Machina and his own Archerina. Klank's body was not present, either he was still operational or had simply not been deemed a priority for reinitialization. Gasket walked passed the two vessels observing their current status. Archerina was nearly reinitialized; Queen Machina was less than halfway through her memory transfer.

Gasket quickened his pace as he came to the base of the core, the fingers of his right hand split open as small cables extended out locking into the control ports, which were no more than small gold rings on the otherwise gloss black surface. The data stream flooded his vision as he dove into the core accessing King Mondo's information. Lock outs tried to prevent his progress, but he injected a series of attack viruses to keep the system occupied as he added his own barriers to prevent any further interference from the defense systems. He pulled up Mondo's information altering his beacon identification code before scrambling a portion of his father's memory data.

King Mondo had led them on two failed conquests of Earth. He was a fool to side with the biologicals. No living thing could ever improve upon the glory that was the Machine Empire. His father had forgotten that, it was time for new leadership and a new King, no, a new Emperor that would raise the Machine Empire to its highest pinnacle as masters of the universe. Gasket smiled; even if they should find proof of his father's demise now and reinitialized him, he would be unable to lead the empire with his mind a chaotic jumble. It was indeed unfortunate that such an error should occur after a nearly flawless record since the core's construction.

Gasket erased the records of his interface with the core wiping away all visual data from the system before deleting the viruses and disengaging from the core. He turned and walked back to Archerina's side, her initialization in its final stages. As Archerina came online he overwrote his own memory files, leaving no trace of what he had done.

Kimberly paced nervously as Zordon continued to chant his incantation. As dangerous as the situation had gotten where she was, she couldn't help but find her mind drifting back to Josh and his battle. Her locator showed that he was down in the crater, presumably fighting against Zedd, but she was unable to get any other data on his condition, and she couldn't contact him, a distraction could very well cost him his life.

"Please be safe," she whispered to herself.

Suddenly she caught sight of movement in her peripheral vision. She quickly turned, bringing her bow up and drawing a shimmering pink bolt back. Cogs began to pour from the alleyways and streets entering onto the battlefield. Kimberly launched a hail of magenta darts, sending half a dozen Cogs to the ground in a spasm as sparks burst from their heads and chests.

Stepping in front of Zordon, using her body as a shield she unleashed another flurry of arrows; Cogs dropped to the ground as her precision placed ten burning fuchsia bolts through either the head or chest of as many warriors. Two Cogs took notice of her as the bodies of their unit fell to the ground, flailing as their internal systems shorted and burned. Two arrows burst from her bow as the Cogs returned fire a moment before the bolts pierced through their heads. Kimberly had to restrain her instinct to dodge, her teeth gritted as the shots hit her right arm and stomach, singeing the armor.

She sighed with relief, finding that her armor had held, leaving only a sensation of heat where the attacks had landed. More Cogs advanced toward her as she let several more arrows fly. Three Cogs dropped to the ground as four more fired a split second before Kimberly's arrows cut them down. Kimberly dropped to a knee as three of the shots hit her in the chest torching through her armor and burning holes into her skin.

More Cogs began to rush at her, her bow unleashing a storm of darts as she struggled to halt their advance. More shots flew at her hitting her in the chest, arms, and legs as the Cogs climbed over the pile of bodies that now lay between her and the main force.

Behind her Zordon rose to his feet, extending his arms to the sky as he cried out in a loud voice; the fiery sky suddenly awash in sapphire light. Several Cogs fired on Zordon burning marks into his brilliant white armor before Kimberly destroyed them.

Weary, the Pink Ranger pushed herself to her feet as she absorbed two more shots to her chest, and another stopped by her helmet. Seven more arrows flew through the air sending a handful more Cogs to the ground in their death throes as a barrage of return fire riddled Kimberly's body. With a cry she fell forward unleashing several wild shots into the air destroying two more Cogs before she collapsed on the ground.

In agony she rolled onto her back and arched her head back; pulling her blaster she fired into the advancing Cogs. The next wave of attacks ripped across Zordon's armor puncturing his chest and left leg. With a groan the wizard fell to his knees, the sapphire light in the heavens vanishing as it was consumed by blackness streaked in red.

"I can do no more," Zordon said falling as he suddenly became aware of the situation.

Taking his staff he slammed the end into the ground as rubble sprang up around the two Rangers, shielding them from the Cogs. Zordon looked to Kimberly who lowered her blaster with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I tried my best."

"Rest easy Kimberly," Zordon said as he placed a hand on her stomach as a glowing golden light manifested and began spreading over her armor. "You bought me more time than I could have hoped for."

Kimberly smiled as she allowed her body to fall limp, the healing energy from Zordon washing over her in a sensation of warmth and safety.

Psycho Green brought his sword back, ready to slay Ashley; the Yellow Ranger trembled at his feet in shock as she looked passed Green to Trey's body, the lifeless form lying on the ground as his blood soaked into the blackened earth. Jason was coming to his feet, rushing toward Ashley as the Savage Sword began to move forward, the other Rangers raising their blasters to fire.

Suddenly a hail of azure bolts raked up Green's back punching through the armor. The Psycho Ranger turned with a shriek only to be confronted with a flash of silver as Zhane dove from his glider rolling to a stop, allowing the board to slam into Green's stomach as the board carried him up into the air. Zhane quickly rolled into a crouching position and fired another shot into the glider causing it to detonate in a ball of fire that launched Psycho Green back into the crater. Zhane immediately leapt to his feet rushing to Ashley's side, reaching her just after Jason.

"Ashley are you okay?' Zhane asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He killed him," she said, her voice shaking. "He killed Trey, he's dead."

Zhane paused for a moment, his head dropping as he observed Trey's body on the ground. "Trey," Zhane whispered under his breath. "Be at peace old friend,"

"Adam!" Jason shouted ripping the remains of his helmet off and casting it aside.

"I'm here," Adam said walking over to the others, his axe hanging loosely from his hand as he clutched at his bleeding chest with the other.

"I need you to guard Ashley; I think she's in shock." Jason said as he suddenly noticed Billy staggering toward them. "Are you alright?"

"It's just my shoulder, I can still fight," Billy said between heavy breaths.

"What about you Tommy?" Jason asked.

"It only hurts when I breathe," Tommy replied trying to smile. "I might have a cracked rib or two."

Psycho Green suddenly burst from the crater landing on the rim. His eyes were fixed on the Rangers as he began to stalk toward them.

"Zhane, you and Tommy come with me; Billy, you and Adam protect Ashley." Jason ordered as he rose to his feet.

"But," Billy began to protest.

"Just do it," Jason said as he raced toward Green with Tommy and Zhane following closely behind.

Green swept his sword back in a wide arc as Jason and the others closed in as he prepared to attack. Jason brought his sword down on the Psycho Ranger as Zhane fired several shots from this gun-blade into Green's head. Psycho Green ignored Zhane's attack, allowing the shots to slam into his helmet, cracking his visor and burning away part of his crest. Bringing his sword forward in a slash he parried Jason's attack aside and threw a side kick into Jason's chest, knocking him back.

Tommy dove to the ground, somersaulting under Jason before leaping to his feet, bringing his Quantum Defender around in a two-handed slash. Green brought his sword back blocking the attack before lashing out with a roundhouse kick, but Tommy dropped to the ground slashing at Green's standing leg with his sword cutting through it at the joint as Zhane swiped his blade across Green's neck cutting in deep. Psycho Green tumbled back crashing to the ground.

"That's for Trey," Zhane said turning his back to the Psycho Ranger.

"Look out!" Jason shouted.

Tommy dove to the side, knocking into Zhane as the pair fell to the ground, the Savage Sword ripping over their heads. Jason rushed forward hurling a burning shuriken at the Psycho Ranger, his haste causing him to miss, as he interposed himself between Green and the other Rangers. Their blades met in a shower of flames and crackling energy as Green laughed wildly, his mouth spread in a huge fanged smile.

"You can't kill him like that," Tommy said as he and Zhane leapt to their feet. "We need to separate him from that sword."

"Got it," Zhane replied firing several shots into Green's face.

Jason pushed against Green as the shots detonated on Green's mask, cracking the reflective black surface and distorting the burning green eyes behind it, forcing Green back a few steps before the Psycho Ranger recovered, his visor reforming.

Psycho Green suddenly began to cackle hysterically as a deafening boom came from behind the Rangers, the area flashing in a sudden flare of flaming light. Jason parried Green's sword aside and jumped back, glancing over his shoulder. A huge cloud of black dust had risen from the northeast. A second later Jason saw the cause as another burning meteorite slammed into the ground a hundred yards south sending up a smaller cloud as the rock bored into the ground.

"Incoming!" Zhane shouted.

Green rushed at Jason as a larger meteorite hurled toward them. Jason spun quickly, blocking Green's attack before jumping aside as the rock smashed into the Psycho Ranger, the force of the impact flinging him to the ground as Psycho Green smashed through the stone, sending debris flying in all directions pummeling the Rangers with a hail of burning rock.

Zhane jumped up catching Green's strike as the Psycho Ranger fell on Jason. Red Ranger jumped up to help Zhane, thrusting his sword forward into Green's chest, the Psycho Ranger leapt back evading the fiery blade. All around meteorites were peppering the ground, many no larger than a softball. Warriors on both sides were torn apart as the small stones indiscriminately smashed through them like cannon shots.

Jason coughed as the air grew thick with dust and smoke. He raised his hand to his head reforming his helmet as Green rushed toward the Rangers again. Zhane stepped out blocking Green's attack with his blade before Jason moved forward slamming his sword into Green's with his full force. Green reeled slightly as the sword lurched out to the side before Zhane brought his blade down pinning Green's blade to the ground.

Green looked up at Zhane with a crazed grin, before he caught sight of Tommy in Zhane's visor. Green tried to pull his sword back, but Jason struck, adding the weight of his own weapon to the Savage Sword, driving it partially into the ground. Green spun executing a reverse roundhouse, but the Quantum Ranger leapt into the air, his feet narrowly clearing Green's leg. As Tommy came down on the Psycho Ranger he brought his sword down with all his strength, falling to a knee as he carved through the Psycho Ranger's arm.

Before Green could react Jason released his sword, letting it fall to the ground as he slammed his arms forward releasing a tremendous force blast into Green's chest. Psycho Green shot back, vanishing into the darkness of a building as he smashed through the side of it, the Savage Sword remaining in the ground, Green's hand still clutching the hilt.

Tommy and Zhane immediately rushed in to seize it, but the weapon sent out a surge of black lightning, throwing the two Rangers away from the weapon. Jason turned and reached out for the weapon, but the wave of lightning lashed out at him knocking him away as well as Psycho Green emerged from the building and charged forward; blood lust in his eyes as he raced toward the Savage Sword.

"Some one get that sword!" Jason shouted over the com as he hit the ground.

From his vantage point Trip could see the weapon rising from the ground. He had been watching the battle, but had been at a loss to help. He knew what was at stake, but he couldn't remember from history how the Savage Sword had finally been destroyed, he had to try something though, before it was too late. With a groan as his body strained, he manifested his V-Weapon in a flash of emerald light. Powering up the weapon to full strength he heaved the cannon up to his chest, his arms shaking as he sighted down the top rail, his vision still blurred. Green was closing on the weapon with crazed voracity, as the Psycho Ranger leapt into the air toward the sword Trip pulled the trigger.

The bolt of fiery green energy raced over the ground impacting against the Savage Sword with the force of a bomb, Psycho Green's arm only inches from the weapon. Without the consciousness of the Psycho Ranger directing it, the sword failed to absorb the energy, the gleaming black surface shattered in an explosion of dark lightning that arced several meters from the weapon. Psycho Green was torn to pieces in the blast as the energy burned scores of holes through his armor and body. His visor flashed as energy discharged through his head burning out his eyes. Green shrieked as he hit the ground, his body bursting into flames as his flesh was consumed before a bolt pierced through his Morpher. With a final howl Psycho Green exploded in a storm of radiant green light and crimson fire.

The lightning storm abated as the power contained within the storm dispersed. Jason slowly pulled himself to his feet watching the final sparks of life dance over the broken shards. Tommy and Zhane came to his side watching with him.

"It's over," Jason said with a sigh as his sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

"But who?" Tommy began.

"Rangers," Circuit's voice interrupted over the com. "Come quick, Trip's hurt."

"Zhane?" Jason said looking toward him.

"Going," Zhane replied as he turned and began to sprint toward Trip's location.

Jason dropped to a knee.

"Jason!" Tommy shouted catching him.

"I'm alright," Jason said. "I just need a minute."

"I don't think we have one," Tommy said as he looked up at the hordes of warriors still locked in their brutal melee; their ranks spreading out once again now that Green was gone.

Deep in the cavern, at the foot of the palace steps, under the crimson glow of a small orb inscribed with a heptagram the ground cracked open as a golden armored hand rose from the depths taking hold of the ground as a menacing form in golden armor rose from the fissure, its wings spreading up into the air before tucking back behind its back. After him a large black, taloned claw reached from the earth as a monstrous form rose; its eyes burning with a pale yellow light. The two creatures looked at one anther for a moment. Not a word passed between them as they turned toward the palace and began to ascend the steps.

In the heart of the North American Hive caretakers scurried about a small chamber. In the center of the room were three large cocoons suspended from the ceiling. The outer membrane was a translucent, fleshy material webbed in a hard black mesh. Several smaller insects clung to the outside of each of the sacks; their long needle-like mouths were inserted through the membrane and into the subject sustaining their blood chemistry and providing nutrients from their own stores allowing the subject to remain in a state of living death, eliminating all signs of life.

Smaller workers, similar to ants, but having legs more like a spider, worked dragging exoskeletal remains from the chamber, the deep indigo armor of one piece shimmered as it was pulled passed a bioluminescent beetle that was clinging to the wall near the entrance. Other lesser insects scurried along the floor devouring the small fragments of carapace that remained, leaving the room clean.

"No one get's inside this circle," Jason said bringing his sword up as Cogs continued to pour onto the battlefield, being followed closely by a variety of insect warriors. "Until Trip can fight we hold the line right here!"

The remaining Rangers were gathered around a small patch of ground. Inside the circle Zordon sat at Trip's side working to heal the Xybrian. Next to Trip was the body of Trey of Triforia covered in a white cloth. Circuit sat at Trip's feet watching Zordon's practice of arcanum with great interest.

Ashley was on her feet, her daggers held up ready to defend this small patch of ground to the death. Kimberly stood next to her, her bow drawn back ready to fire. Adam stood to Jason's left, the wound in his chest had closed, the armor regenerated over it, though his emblem still bore the talon marks from Psycho Green. Billy stood to Jason's right, with Zhane between him and Ashley and Tommy between Kimberly and Adam.

Kimberly let a hail of arrows fly as the various forces moved toward them from all sides, threatening to engulf them. Two Cogs fell to the ground as several more bolts went into the body of a hulking beetle that was scurrying toward them on scythed limbs, the shots cracking the exoskeleton causing the creature to fall to the ground, thrashing wildly as it struck at friend and foe alike.

Jason stretched his arms wide as he sent a hail of shurikens into the enemy, cutting a multitude of warriors down like weeds; their severed bodies sliding from their legs in a surge of sparks or a spray of yellowish goo. Tommy fired off several bursts from his Quantum Defender, destroying the head of a worker beetle in a spray of blue-gray fluid and chitin as the monstrous creature hit the ground plowing over the host of warriors below it. As the enemy drew closer he converted his Quantum Defender to its sword form, bringing it up blocking the first insect to slash at him as everything suddenly erupted into chaos.

Andros sat huddled against the wall watching the line around the rim of the cardiopulmonary stimulator shrink. The bar had just shifted from yellow to red; he knew time was running out. He raised his communicator trying to contact someone; still he got nothing except static. It was likely the walls were shielding him. He had to get out, it was risky to move her, but leaving her here was a death sentence.

Andros rose to his feet and activated his Morpher. As soon as he transformed he activated his Battlizer, transforming into his highest state as airfoils unfurled from his back and hardened plating shifted over his body. Carefully he scooped his sister up in his arms and began marching up the stairs. His mind was racing as he was bombarded by questions. Would he be able to find help? Would Karone's body even be able to handle the stress of flight? Would he get her to safety in time?

Andros reached ground level, stepping out from cover. He gasped as he caught sight of the streaks of red in the sky as meteorites smashed through buildings and the hordes of Cogs and insects that rampaged through the streets. Refocusing, he shot into the sky, his systems already scanning for anyone. His display immediately showed the Ranger's positions; then another signal appeared, the Mega Wing! It was in low orbit, but if he could get there he would have access to the Medical Bay. Trying to calm himself he sent a command through to Ivann, ordering the vessel to move to intercept him inside the atmosphere. With the command acknowledged Andros raced toward the horizon.

Josh's body arched as his head was slammed back, his helmet shattering in a shower of green and gold as he was thrown into the wall. How was this possible? Lord Zedd should not have this much power. Josh hit the wall, his head smacking into the rock a split second before his shoulders hit. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, the back of his head bleeding, his vision blurred. That blow should have killed him, but why didn't it?

Lord Zedd advanced on him grabbing the back of his neck as he pulled him up, holding him in the air. Suddenly the answer to his question became obvious, he was still alive because Zedd hadn't hit him with the force he had used the first time, but was it because he chose not to, or because he couldn't? Ignoring the pain the Green Ranger kicked a foot forward slamming Zedd's head back, the moment of shock causing Lord Zedd to loosen his grip on Josh's neck. Green Ranger pried Zedd's fingers from his neck as he fell to the ground sweeping Zedd's feet. The Dark Lord fell on his back as Josh jumped away putting a short distance between them.

Lord Zedd leapt to his feet rushing at Josh, throwing a roundhouse. Josh ducked under the attack before coming up and throwing an elbow to Zedd's head. Zedd staggered slightly before punching at Josh's chest. Josh knocked his strike aside, throwing a counterpunch into Zedd's chest before leaping into the air and slamming his knee into Lord Zedd's chin. As Zedd toppled over backward Josh realized something had changed.

What had allowed Zedd to use so much power before? Why wasn't he using it now? Josh shook the thoughts from his mind; he had to focus on the fight. Suddenly Josh's eyes grew wide as he had a moment of clarity, focus was the difference. Zedd could not use his power at will; he needed time to access it. Josh raced forward as Lord Zedd was returning to his feet and launched a roundhouse into his chest. Zedd caught his leg as Josh leapt from the ground, bringing his other leg up and kicking Lord Zedd in the head before falling to the ground.

Zedd staggered to the side before falling on Josh, driving his elbow into the Green Ranger's chest; Josh choked as the air was forced from his lungs. Josh reached up and slammed a fist into the side of Zedd's helmet knocking him off his body. The two jumped to their feet, immediately rushing at each other. Zedd lashed out with a punch which Josh blocked before throwing a side kick. Lord Zedd side stepped the attack, striking with a backhand. Josh blocked the attack and threw a hard punch into Zedd's chest knocking him back.

Josh charged forward, throwing a roundhouse into the Dark Lord's head knocking him to the ground. As Zedd crashed into the ground Josh moved in and seized his gorget, with a quick spin to build up speed Josh hurled Lord Zedd into the air toward the east side of the crater. Immediately he followed after him.

Lord Zedd hit the ground, plowing through a group of Cogs, tearing their frail bodies apart. Josh landed behind him, the impact from his arrival sent Cogs and Sting Wings flying out in a circle around the Green Ranger. Josh's helmet and chest plate reformed; his fists and feet lighting in a blaze of green energy as he stalked toward Zedd. Lord Zedd turned, throwing a roundhouse into Josh's side. The Green Ranger took the hit, planting his foot firmly, the ground shattering beneath it as the force of Zedd's attack was driven into the earth.

Josh stepped toward Lord Zedd, slamming his left fist and then the right into the Dark Lord's chest. Zedd's body lurched as the green energy rippled over the surface of the armor. As Josh stepped back Lord Zedd could see two huge spider web cracks radiating out from the points the Green Ranger had hit. Zedd's eyes flared as he glared at Josh, his fists tightening and shaking.

Lord Zedd charged forward slamming a fist into the Green Ranger's chest. Josh slid back as he absorbed the force before springing forward with a flying spinning crescent kick fracturing Zedd's shoulder plate. Josh dropped to the ground landing in front of Lord Zedd. The Dark Lord rushed forward with a jump kick, Josh leaned back avoiding it as he slammed his fist into a Cog that had rushed him from the side, the machine's body flying apart in a spray of metal.

Zedd landed and lashed out with a backhand. Josh dropped to the ground avoiding it and threw a hard kick into Zedd's knee shattering the guard that projected up from the greave and cracking the poleyn beneath it. Zedd staggered back as Josh leapt into the air slamming his knee into the base of Lord Zedd's chest sending a crack radiating out from the impact as Zedd reeled back.

Josh rushed forward, but Zedd lunged out with an elbow to the neck, catching him off guard. Josh stumbled back struggling to breathe as Lord Zedd regained his footing and raced at him. Zedd threw a spin kick, but Josh ducked under it coming up quickly with an elbow strike to Zedd's chest expanding the cracks in his armor. Josh could feel Zedd's aura weakening, whatever strength he had drawn on before, it appeared he had overexerted himself; still this was no time to get cocky.

Zedd caught Josh with a punch to the gut before bringing his arms up and slamming them down on the Green Ranger's shoulders. Josh smashed into the ground face first as Zedd raised his foot to stomp on him, but Josh rolled clear and wrapped his legs around Zedd's forcing him to the ground.

Green Ranger pulled his legs free and jumped to his feet as Zedd pushed himself to his knees. Immediately Josh threw a roundhouse into the Dark Lord's head slamming him back into the ground cracking his helmet. Zedd rolled to his side attempting to sweep Josh, but Green Ranger jumped back landing outside his reach.

Zedd jumped up rushing at the Green Ranger and throwing a hard punch at his head. Josh pivoted on his foot and caught Zedd's arm hurling him over his shoulder and slamming him onto the ground, sending debris flying high into the air as the impact resounded across the city. The shockwave cast the few warriors that had foolishly ventured too close to the fight back into the sea of warriors, their bodies trampled beneath the conflict.

Zedd twisted his hand around, taking hold of Josh's arm as he pulled the Green Ranger toward him and slammed his fist into his stomach. Josh coughed as a spray of blood hit Zedd's armor. Josh knew he had to finish this fast; his body was still badly damaged from Zedd's power attack, if it hadn't been for his Shaolin Training and meditative skills to block the pain he would have already been defeated. Josh slammed his free palm down onto Zedd's chest unleashing an enormous blast of energy that catapulted him into the air as Zedd was consumed in the fireball.

As Josh drifted into the sky, beginning to slow, Zedd burst through the fire slamming into his chest with his shoulder. The two spun in the air, wrestling for a moment before Josh managed to wrench Zedd's arms behind him pressing his feet into his lower back. The two began to tumble toward the ground, each trying to make sure the other hit first. Suddenly Josh let go, flipping around in the air he landed an axe kick to the middle of Zedd's back, slamming the Dark Lord into the ground.

Josh landed slightly back from the crater. As he stepped forward he staggered slightly, feeling a moment of lightheadedness. Zedd rose from the small crater, the dust falling from his armor as he leapt at Josh throwing a kick. Josh dropped under the kick catching his leg and holding it on his shoulder as he jumped up slamming Zedd down onto the ground. Josh jumped back as Zedd thrust his other leg forward trying to hit him.

Zedd sprang to his feet and rushed forward as both warriors threw kicks, their legs hitting in a cross in the air. Josh dropped his leg as he pushed off with his back one, spinning around and catching Zedd in the back with his heel. Zedd lurched forward quickly finding his balance as Josh flew in striking the back of his helmet with a backhand. The helmet shattered in a hail of black shards; Zedd's arm whipped back catching Josh in the face and knocking him to the ground.

As the Dark Lord turned Josh saw his face. His flesh was deep red and withered as if scorched in flames. Broken, ridged horns, no more than lumps, protruded from the side of his head just above where his ears should have been. The top of his head was covered over with an armored plate that had been riveted into his skull. His nose had caved in leaving only two triangular holes in his face divided by a strand of cartilage. His teeth were gritted together, a series of unvarying fangs. The flesh and bone around his eyes were cracked, wisps of red flame escaped from the crevices as his burning eyes flared.

Goldar stood on a nearby rooftop watching the battle between his Lord and the Green Ranger. His head throbbed with pain as he struggled to focus his failing vision. He reached out taking hold of the ledge to steady himself; a snarl escaped his clenched teeth before he spread his wings and leapt from the rooftop.

"I have to go," Kimberly said as she put bolts through three more Cogs.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Josh needs me," Kimberly said. "I can feel it, I can't explain, but I have no doubt he needs me now."

"Then go," Jason shouted as he cleaved through a giant mantis-like creature.

Kimberly nodded as she broke from the circle, jumping to the thorax of a giant worker beetle and running up onto its broad back. She spotted Josh and Zedd just north of her position; the enemy had given the two of them a wide birth. Taking a deep breath she jumped down into the bedlam below, her bow blazing in a fury of pink as she pushed through the enemy toward Josh.

Josh blocked a kick from Zedd and leapt into air throwing a crescent kick. Lord Zedd ducked under the attack coming up with an uppercut to the jaw. Josh flew up into the air as Lord Zedd shot up, following him. Josh flipped around kicking Zedd in the chest, breaking a small chip from the armored plate. The souls of the imprisoned warriors pressed against the cracks trying desperately to escape from their prison.

Zedd rolled using the force from the attack to rotate around, throwing a punch into Josh's chest, the golden plate bending inward from the force of the strike knocking the two away from each other. Josh and Zedd flew to the ground. The Green Ranger hit first, slamming into the ground on his back sending up a cloud of dust as Zedd landed in a crouch several yards away.

Coming to his feet Josh ripped his chest plate off and tossed it aside. Lord Zedd stood up, his hands suddenly flaring to life with a dark crimson flame as the two faced off. Josh knew he was only going to get one chance, if he failed and Zedd hit him, it would all be over. His whole body ached, his heartbeat was erratic, limbs were already going numb as the blood flow to them was cut off, and the air in his lungs became stagnant as he struggled to breathe.

With a shout, the cry feeling like fire in his lungs, Josh began to rush forward as Zedd also charged toward him. In the sky behind Lord Zedd Goldar tucked his wings in, beginning to dive toward the Green Ranger as Kimberly came to the edge of the clearing.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Kimberly as she felt her heart race. Josh and Zedd rushed toward one another, their footfalls ringing in her head like thunder, the rushing of air from above as Goldar dove toward the ground was almost deafening. Her own feet began to move as she rushed toward the convergence of the warriors, drawing her bow back as a pink arrow formed.

Kimberly's eyes closed for a moment, Josh would not reach Lord Zedd before Goldar reached him, but if she could hit Lord Zedd she could end this and Josh could dispatch Goldar easily. The question was which one to attack? Her mind flashed with Josh's words 'I need you by my side, I need you with me if I'm going to win', her eyes snapped open as she took aim. The bolt in her bow flared growing in size as it burst into a bright magenta flame. Her feet stopped, planting firmly on the ground as she sighted down the burning dart and released.

Josh flew at Lord Zedd as he caught sight of Goldar coming down on him from above. The Fear Cat was less than a meter from him, his sword already slashing toward him as the blood lust raged in his eyes. Josh exhaled and closed his eyes as he made his move.

Zedd thrust his right arm forward intending to punch through both Goldar and the Green Ranger, the burning energy surrounding his hand surging forward as his arm extended. Kimberly's shot flew between Josh and Zedd spearing through Goldar's side, slamming the Fear Cat aside as his golden armor was shredded in the blast of energy that tore through him, burning a hole the size of a basketball through his upper body. As Goldar was knocked away Josh planted his left foot and spun backward as Zedd's fist grazed the front of his armor. Continuing to rotate green energy flashed in Josh's hand as his naganata manifested, Josh's right arm began extending out as the blade formed, the shaft of the weapon materializing down his arm and across his back. Zedd's eyes burst into a raging inferno as he realized he had missed the Green Ranger a split second before Josh's arm fully extended. As he completed his movement the blade of the naganata bit into the back of Lord Zedd's neck. Green light flared through the weapon as a deafening roar broke over the raging sounds of war, drowning them out completely. The razor edge flew through Zedd's neck cleanly, the blade gliding along the top of Zedd's gorget as a stream of blood whipped from the neckline as the blade exited. Lord Zedd's head flew from his neck as his body dropped to its knees, spraying blood into the air.

Goldar slammed into the ground as blood hemorrhaged from his body, his eyes wide with shock as he rolled onto his back, his sword clattering to the ground beside him. Lord Zedd's body fell forward as blood flew onto the ground in streams. His armor suddenly shattered like glass as a storm of red energy swirled from his body into the sky, faces of warriors stood out in the torrent of raging power before it shot off into the battlefield.

Joshua's body demorphed in an explosion of green light as he stumbled forward and then, with a twist, he fell to the ground.

"Josh!" Kimberly screamed as she tore her helmet from her head and raced toward him.

Behind her the blazing crimson storm began to move through the remaining enemy warriors, rending them to pieces without effort. Limbs and fluids flew into the air as the armies were torn to shreds as the souls vented their rage on the enemy.

Jason and the others stood in terror and awe as the storm swept around them destroying everything in a flurry of carnage. Suddenly the tempest stopped, leaving the battlefield in an eerie state of silence as the energy faded away like a light mist. The sky above was pitch black once again as the hail of meteorites ceased.

"Whoa," was the only word that escaped Jason's lips in a faint whisper before he fell to his knees.

"Josh!" Kimberly shouted again as she dropped to his side. Carefully she pulled him up in her arms, cradling his head in her hand. "Come on," she pleaded. "Open your eyes,"

Slowly Josh's eyes opened, his gaze falling on her face. "Is it over?" he asked.

" Yes," she replied, tears suddenly running from her eyes. "It's over, you won."

"Good," Josh sighed, his eyes closing for a moment.

"Zordon!" Kimberly shouted holding Josh close to her.

Zordon rushed to where Kimberly was lying with Josh, the other Rangers followed behind him. Zhane was carrying Trip, the Time Force Ranger leaning on his shoulder.

"Help him!" Kimberly demanded as fresh tears streaked her face.

Zordon placed a hand on Josh's chest as the golden light began to manifest. Kimberly watched Zordon intently as the other Rangers stood around them removing their helmets, a look of apprehension on each of their faces.

Zordon drew his hand back as the golden light faded; he reached up taking off his helmet. Kimberly looked at him, her eyes asking the question Zordon did not want to answer.

"I'm sorry," he said as his wise old eyes began to glisten. "His injuries are too grave, I can't save him."

"No," Kimberly said shaking her head. "No, you have to save him, you have to do something," her body was trembling.

"Kimberly?" Josh's voice came, ever so faintly from his lips as his eyes opened slightly.

"Josh," she replied, her words were shaky as her tears ran down her face dripping onto his robes.

Josh looked up at Kimberly, all around her he could see soft white light as everything else in the world faded. Cherry blossoms began to fall around him and he could feel a warm breeze as cool grass brushed against his arm. Behind Kimberly he could see Trey standing among a throng of strange warriors, the souls of those lost to Lord Zedd's lust for power. They regarded him solemnly with deep respect, their heads bowing in silence. Behind Trey Josh noticed Ninjor, the old man's weathered eyes regarding him with a mix of pride and sorrow as he smiled and nodded; Trey also smiled warmly as he extended his hand to him.

"Wait," Josh whispered.

"For what?" Kimberly asked.

Josh tried to shake his head, but found he was unable to move. "Kim," he sighed.

"What is it?" she asked as she tried to stop her body from shaking.

"I owe you so much," he said faintly. "I never could have made it without you, you were always there for me, always caring and warm, you were the best friend I ever had, never lose that part of you,"

"I won't," Kimberly promised smiling softly as her eyes closed for a moment forcing fresh tears down her cheeks.

"I love you, Kim," Josh said quietly.

"I love you too," Kim replied as she leaned toward him.

Kimberly pressed her lips to his, kissing him tenderly. Ashley's head fell, her face stained with tears as she began to sob. Jason wiped a tear from his eye as he knelt down on a single knee. Kimberly felt a subtle breath leave Joshua's mouth as his lips sank back down. Kimberly's face disappeared into a field of soft grass and gently falling cherry blossoms as Joshua Raine's world faded into white.


	24. Chapter 24

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Dark Maelstrom

-24-

Joshua Raine stood in his room unpacking his last box. It had been a long flight the day before and he was glad to have an easier day today. He was looking forward to going to school next week; it would be a good chance to get to know people, though he wished the school had more extra curricular activities; of course it wasn't practical given the size of the school.

"Hey Joshua," his Mom's voice called.

"Yeah?"

"When you finish up there we're having lemonade on the back porch."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Reaching into the box Josh pulled out the final item, carefully unwrapping the newspaper that covered it, his Championship Trophy from the World Shidokan Martial Arts Tournament. He stared at his reflection in the golden surface a moment as his thoughts wandered before carefully placing it on the shelf to his left. Looking around at his new room with a satisfied nod he grabbed the empty box and walked out of his room heading down the hall. As he passed by the living room he tossed the empty box onto a stack of flattened boxes and slid the screen door open stepping onto the back patio.

"Don't just throw your trash around," his Mom said. "You need to go take care of that box."

"Just give me a minute to relax," Josh replied sitting in one of the wicker chairs. "Then I promise I'll go flatten out my box and take the stack out to the garage."

"Okay," his Mom conceded as she handed him a glass of lemonade. "Just don't forget."

"I won't," Josh replied with a smile.

Joshua leaned back closing his eyes in the bright sun, taking a sip of lemonade as the ice cubes clanked in the glass.

"Well what do you think?" his Dad asked.

Josh opened his eyes looking up into the blue sky. "Well it doesn't feel as humid as Okinawa," he replied. "I'm going to miss the hot springs though,"

"And the snow," Alex replied taking a seat.

"Oh that's right, that year we lived up by Hokkaido," Josh replied. "That was a great winter."

"I think I'm going to miss moving around," Alex said taking a sip of his lemonade.

"Not me," Josh replied. "I'm ready to stay in one place for a while, this country's weird though,"

"How so?" His father asked.

"People just seem more distant here, colder, not as respectful," Josh sighed.

"Sounds like you're just suffering a little from culture shock," his Mom replied. "America is very different from Japan."

"I think it's just going to take some time to adjust," Josh said taking another sip. He noticed the shovel sitting against a support post from the roof that covered part of the patio next to some tilled earth. "You still going to garden Mom?"

"Yes, of course," she replied. "That's one part of Japan that I really enjoyed, I'm not going to let it go just because we moved."

"What about you Alex?" his Dad asked. "What are you going to miss?"

"The culture," he replied. "This country just doesn't have the rich history of Japan or China."

"Well China and Japan have existed for thousands of years longer than the United States." his Dad replied.

"I just hope they have a good martial arts school somewhere in town," Josh said. "I need somewhere to train."

"Are you still thinking you want to participate in the Pan Global games?" his Mom asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "I still need to find some sponsors and find a coach though."

"I don't think you'll have any trouble," Alex said. "I mean who's better than the great Joshua Raine?"

"Yeah," Josh said with a laugh. "If only that was true,"

"Oh, you'd hate it if you were the best," his mother said. "Then what would drive you?"

"I don't know," Josh admitted yawning a little as he leaned back. "So Dad, what about you? You've been working almost non-stop the last ten years on all these projects, you going to be able to handle retirement?"

"I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy," his Dad replied. "Maybe I'll get a new hobby," he grinned. "Maybe I'll take up golf."

"I don't know about that Dad," Josh replied with a smile. "I think that would be too much excitement."

"Just because punches aren't flying at you at a hundred miles an hour doesn't mean it's boring," Alex said.

"All I'm saying is; if you really were skilled why can't it move faster? It's like those guys at the competition that spend five minutes psyching themselves up to break a stack of boards, just hit it and get it over with."

"Yeah, just like the time you broke your hand." Alex teased.

"I still won," Josh said; his tone a little irritable.

"Settle down you two," his mother said. "If you've got enough energy to argue I think you've rested long enough."

"Sorry Mom," Josh replied getting up from his chair. He walked passed his Mom to the back of her chair and bent down giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll go take care of the boxes, are there any others lying around that are empty?"

"I have plenty in my room," Alex replied.

"Then you should go take care of them," his Mom said.

"But Josh is already up," Alex said leaning his head back and rolling it toward Joshua. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu."

Josh smiled, "I don't mind," he replied as he started to walk toward the door.

"Thanks Josh, you're my favorite older brother."

"I'm your only brother," Josh said walking into the living room.

"You're still my favorite." Alex shouted back.

Josh broke his box down and laid it flat on the stack before lifting half the stack, the unwieldy boxes held awkwardly against his chest. Walking sideways down another hall he came to a door, stubbornly trying to work the knob without putting his cargo down. After a few seconds he managed to rotate the knob and open the door into the garage. Carefully going down a few steps he navigated through the piles of boxes that were still awaiting unpacking before depositing the small stack of boxes on the ground near a bin marked for recycled paper.

As he made his way back into the living room to grab the other boxes he paused for a moment. A strange sense washed over him and for an instant he almost felt nostalgic. He looked out the screen door to his family out on the patio, he couldn't explain why, but he suddenly was happy to have his family all together. There was a slight tingling in his eyes, as he felt for a second as if he would tear up, but he shook the feeling and gathered up the remaining boxes. He looked out to the yard one last time before going down the hall, a smile on his face.

It was late when Kimberly walked out of Gunther Schmidt's training center, slinging her gym bag up over her shoulder. Her whole body ached. It had been nearly a month since she moved from California out to Orlando, and training had been hard. She was glad that tomorrow was Sunday, see needed a break.

She began walking down the street toward her apartment complex admiring the Christmas decorations, and the lit up storefronts. She was thinking about taking some time off to fly overseas to visit her Mom and brother, of course that was if Coach Schmidt would let her. If not she could always fly back to Angel Grove for a day or two and spend Christmas with Tommy's family.

Kimberly was so preoccupied she didn't notice two men moving up quickly behind her. As she continued on she passed an alleyway and suddenly was throw off balance as she was pushed into the narrow passage, her bag falling to the ground. She tried to scream, but a grimy hand that reeked of cigarette smoke covered her mouth as another arm went around her waist and arms. Kimberly struggled until the other assailant pulled a knife from his pocket and pressed the blade against her neck.

"I suggest you keep quiet," he said.

Kimberly stopped moving as the man slowly pulled the blade back. Bending down he picked up her gym bag and began going through the contents tossing her possessions on the ground. Finally he pulled out a small hand bag and rummaged through it pulling out around fifteen dollars.

"This is it?" he said as he dropped her stuff on the ground. "This is all you have?" he said looking at Kimberly.

Kimberly nodded her head as she tried to slow her breathing as much as possible.

"It might not be a total loss," the man holding her said. "She is kind of cute."

Kimberly felt her heart start racing as she began contemplating her limited options.

"You're right, come here cutie," the man said as he reached out toward Kimberly.

There was a sudden rustle as two figures charged into the alleyway, their features blotted out by the light behind them. Kimberly felt the grip of the man behind her loosen as one of the figures rushed the man with the knife; before he could react the shadow had slammed a foot into his face knocking him to the ground. Kimberly's captor pushed her aside and swung with a wild left hook as the second figure ducked under it and came up with a hard shot to the stomach. As the mugger bent over the figure took hold of his arm and flung him over his shoulder smashing him into the asphalt. The man coughed as the wind was knocked out of him.

The man with the knife was back on his feet and charged at the shadowy figure. The figure sidestepped as the man rushed in with a sloppy thrust and seized his arm wrenching it around and slamming a knee up into the man's elbow. The man screamed as the knife fell from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Then the figure threw a roundhouse into the man's chest knocking him back hard into the wall. The mugger's head slammed into the wall, his eyes rolling back into his head as he slid to the ground.

"Are you okay?" the shorter figure asked as he dragged the breathless mugger to his feet and shoved him out of the alleyway.

"Yeah," Kimberly said as she pulled herself up from the ground. "Thank you."

"You really shouldn't be out alone this late," the taller one said as he walked over to her. "Especially around the holidays, this time of year makes people desperate."

"I just wasn't thinking," Kimberly said as she knelt down and began gathering up her things.

"Let me help you with that," the taller figure replied.

As he knelt down facing the light Kimberly got a good look at his face for the first time, he was a young man, probably not much older than her, his short, dirty blonde hair was cut short on the sides and spiked on top, his eyes shimmered between brown and green in the pale light. She paused for a moment watching him as he gathered up the rest of her things and put them in her bag. As he finished he looked up, meeting Kimberly's fixed gaze.

"What?" he asked.

"Sorry," she replied with an awkward smile. "I just have the feeling I've met you somewhere before."

"Well surely you've heard of the great Joshua Raine," the other figure replied.

"What?" Kimberly said.

"Alex, shut up," Josh replied as he picked up Kimberly's bag and rose to his feet. "I'm sorry, just ignore him," Josh said extending his hand to her.

Kimberly took hold of his hand as he helped pull her back to a standing position. Kimberly was still fixated on him, Josh would have been a little unnerved, but there was something about her, something very familiar, as if he knew her.

"Hey you two, we should get going." Alex said snapping his fingers in Josh's face.

"Right," Josh replied.

The three of them walked out of the alleyway, Kimberly was happy to get back into the open. Once in the light Kimberly could see Alex was similar in appearance to his brother, just a little shorter and with light brown hair, and blue-gray eyes.

"You live around here?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied. "Just about half a mile,"

"So would you like us to walk you home?" Alex asked.

"I don't want to trouble you," Kimberly said.

"It's not a problem, right Josh?"

"Not at all," Josh replied.

"Well if you don't mind," Kimberly replied.

The three of them began walking down the street, Josh was still carrying Kimberly's bag.

"I know we haven't been formally introduced," Alex said. "I'm Alex Raine, and this is my brother Joshua."

"I'm Kimberly,"

"How long have you been in Florida?" Alex asked.

"About a month," Kimberly replied. "I moved here to train for the Pan Global games,"

"Really?' Josh replied. "What event?"

"Gymnastics,"

"Josh is going out for Martial Arts," Alex said.

"Really?" Kimberly replied. "You're that good?"

"I'm alright," Josh replied blushing a little.

"Alright?" Alex said. "He won the World Shidokan Championship when he was thirteen! I mean you saw him with that mugger, he probably could have stopped both of them single handed."

"Will you quit it," Josh replied.

"So you really look up to your brother then?" Kimberly asked.

"No," Josh interrupted. "He just enjoys embarrassing me." He said with a nervous laugh. "So where are you from originally?"

"Angel Grove,"

"Whoa," Alex replied. "Have you been around for any of the monster attacks? Have you ever seen the Power Rangers?"

"I've seen a few monsters, and I've seen the Power Rangers a couple of times." Kimberly replied. "I've even seen their Zords."

"That is so cool,"

"Your brother doesn't talk much does he?" Kimberly teased bumping her elbow into Josh's arm.

"He's just shy around cute girls," Alex teased.

"Seriously, Alex, just stop talking." Josh replied as his face turned bright red.

Kimberly could sense she was blushing too. The three of them continued on for a while talking about various things they were involved in, though Alex was doing most of the talking. Kimberly was so caught up in the conversation that she almost didn't notice they were in front of her apartment complex.

"This is my place," Kimberly said pointing in to the complex.

Josh and Alex walked her to the door. As she got up on the front step Josh extended her bag out to her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I completely forgot you were carrying it."

"It's really not a problem," Josh replied as she took the bag and began looking through it for her keys. "Well I can't thank you enough," she said as she pulled the small ring of keys from her bag and unlocked the door.

"Happy to help," Josh replied.

"Yeah," Alex said holding out a small piece of paper.

"What's this?" Kimberly asked taking the folded note.

"Our phone number," Alex replied. "Just incase you're ever out late again and need someone. Also, if you're interested, we're having a party next Friday night around six to celebrate the start of Christmas break, give us a call if you're interested and we'll give you directions, or I'll make Josh come pick you up. But it's going to be a big party, lots of people, lots of fun; be a good way to make some new friends."

"Thanks," Kimberly said with a smile. "I might do that."

"Have a goodnight," Josh said with a nod.

"Good night," Kimberly replied.

"See you later," Alex replied with a wave, Kimberly nodded in response.

The two brothers turned to leave as Kimberly stepped into her apartment letting the door drift closed. As she sat her bag down she cracked the door open just enough to peer out as she watched Josh and Alex leave. She smiled as she noticed Josh turn his head and look back before he and Alex disappeared around the corner. She pressed the door closed quietly and turned the deadbolt and flipped on the lights.

Walking into her living room she sat down on her couch and leaned back letting her head rest on the back of the couch as she stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Joshua, she couldn't explain it, but she felt a deep connection with him, like she had known him her whole life, but she didn't remember anyone named Joshua from her past. Kimberly looked at the piece of paper in her hand. She told herself this was crazy, she must just be feeling out of sorts from the attack. With a sigh she placed the piece of paper on the coffee table and got up to go take a shower, still as much as she tried to dismiss it something about that guy, just let it go, she told herself as she forced the idea out of her mind again.

Kimberly was standing out in the Raine's backyard talking with Kayla, a friend she had met a few months ago at Josh and Alex's Christmas party. She was a year younger than Kimberly with long dark hair and slightly Asian features.

The backyard was lit up with torches and a few decorations providing a beach theme. Light music drifted in the air providing a peaceful ambiance. Kimberly was looking forward to Spring Break; things would be quieter with just practice and no school. The last few months had been hard not only with training and school work, but her feelings toward Josh had not subsided, in fact she was finding herself more attracted to him. No matter how much she tried to avoid him it seemed an intangible force was pushing them together, but she had been seeing Tommy for just over three years, he meant a lot to her, too much to chase this crush she seemed to have.

"I still think you should come with us to Miami next week," Kayla said.

She had been persistent on the issue. Kimberly had thought it might be fun, but the idea of spending several days at the beach with Josh didn't seem like the best idea to her right now. She knew there would be plenty of people around, but she knew somehow she would end up spending a lot of time with him. It wasn't even his fault, somehow both of them just ended up in the same place at the same time. She would have been suspicious if her friends had taken her somewhere, but it had always been her choice.

"I don't think it would be a good idea," Kimberly replied.

"Why not?" Kayla asked. "You afraid of missing a little practice?"

"No," Kim said. "You know why."

"Josh?"

"Yeah," she said looking off into the distance for a moment.

"You need to let this go," Kayla said. "I'll admit Josh is a nice guy, and he's cute, but really, if you don't want to be around him then don't."

"It's not that simple," she sighed. "It isn't that I don't want to spend time with him, it's just…" her voice trailed off.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I mean how would he feel if he knew I was feeling so torn between him and this other guy? He'd never forgive me,"

"I doubt that," Kayla replied. "So you found another great guy and you're attracted to him, so what? It's not like you're trying to find excuses to talk to him or spend time with him."

"I know," Kimberly said. "It just feels like some days the universe is against me, like I'm fated for this. What do you think?"

"I think you need to lighten up." Kayla said.

"Seriously though," Kimberly began. "If you were in my place what would you do?"

Kayla smiled. "I'd take some time for myself and figure out what I really wanted."

"Maybe you're right," she said folding her arms over her chest. "Think you could give me a ride home? I should go before I bump into you know who."

"Yeah," Kayla said smiling as she shook her head.

The two of them began to walk back toward the house. As Kimberly entered through the patio door she bumped into a guy as he was backing up. The guy stumbled forward as Kimberly tried to catch herself before she tumbled over as well.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"No worries," Josh replied as he turned around.

"Of course," she said under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kimberly replied.

Josh smiled. "Well if you'll excuse the pun, I'm glad I bumped into you. A couple of us were talking about the trip next week and we were thinking, if you were okay with it, we could pool our money and get a couple plane tickets for some of your friends, back in Angel Grove? That is if you were thinking about going?"

Kimberly could feel her heart melt, it was such a sweet offer. "I don't know," she stammered. "I'll think about it," as she forced her feet to move. "I'll call and let you know later, I need to get home, I'm not feeling well."

"Okay," Josh replied as she and Kayla moved passed him. "Hope you feel better."

"Kimberly leaving?" Alex asked coming up by Josh's side.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "She said she wasn't feeling well."

"You should check in on her tomorrow," Alex replied. "Make sure she's okay,"

"Nah," Josh replied. "She's got a boyfriend, I don't want her to get the wrong idea."

"You do like her though," Alex said.

"Yeah," Josh admitted. "But it's like my Tai Chi Sensei use to teach us, we can only act upon what comes into our circle, chasing things beyond your reach is a waste of time, and in this case is dishonorable."

"Too bad," Alex said putting an arm on his shoulder.

"I don't see it that way," Josh replied. "Kim's a great person, I'm happy to be her friend, and that has benefits all its own."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Sensei Takimora wants to put a team together for some of the games events. I'm hoping she'll take our offer to fly some of her friends out. Her boyfriend, Tommy, is a pretty good Martial Artist, he could really help us; it'd be good to meet him."

"You can't find any local talent?" Alex asked.

"There's a few people I've got my eyes on, but from everything I was able to find on Tommy and with what Kim's told me, not only are his skills well developed, but he's got a good heart, and that's worth a lot more."

"So either way things work out, huh?"

"Don't get me wrong," Josh replied. "This is just a perk, I wanted to fly some of her friends out here before I even thought about using Tommy in the games, but I won't be disappointed if things work out favorably."

"And if she doesn't end up going along?" Alex asked.

"Well, it's like Sensei says, 'You have to let go of the illusion of control'. I'll take whatever comes my way and do my best with what I'm given."

Kimberly was lying on her couch staring up at the ceiling. She had been so distracted at practice and wasn't any closer to figuring out what she really wanted. At least she had the day off tomorrow. She rolled onto her side and sat up walking over to the counter where the phone was. Picking it up she began to dial. The phone started ringing; she was hoping no one would answer.

"Hello," came a woman's voice from the other end.

"Hi, this is Kimberly, is Josh home?"

"No," his Mom replied. "He's out with some friends,"

"Can you just let him know, that I appreciated the offer, but I don't think I'm going with everyone next week?"

"Alright,"

"Thanks Mrs. Raine, good bye."

"Good bye."

Kimberly put the receiver down and walked back to the couch and sat back down. How could she decide between two great guys? Maybe this wouldn't be an issue if Tommy were actually here; maybe it was just the distance. Kimberly stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes. She knew she couldn't reason this out; she would only spin herself in circles. She needed to spend some time really looking into her heart to find out what she truly desired deep down. As Kimberly laid there, her mind drifting in a sea of thoughts, she slowly fell asleep.

The next morning Kimberly awoke feeling focused and determined. Her head seemed so clear, as if everything had sorted itself out while she slept. Her emotions were still spinning, but she knew what she wanted, she felt a deep sense of conviction about it burning in her heart, she had decided.

"Don't get hasty Kim," she said to herself as she got up from the couch moving toward the bathroom. "Let's wait a few days and make sure this is really it."

The following Thursday night Kimberly picked up her phone to make the most difficult call she ever had to make. She was shaking as the phone began to ring.

"Hello," she knew it was Tommy.

"Tommy," she said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Hey Kim, how's it going?"

"Things are going great; Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'm going to be for the Pan Global games,"

"That's great," Tommy replied.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Is everything alright?" Tommy asked.

Kimberly sighed. "Tommy, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, you've always been my best friend, and in a lot of ways you've been like an older brother, but something has happened out here that I never expected. It's been great, but at the same time it's been painful," she paused.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"Tommy," she said, a tear running down her cheek, her voice beginning to shake. "I've met someone else."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Tommy," she said trying to hold back her tears. "I know this doesn't make it any better and I'm not doing this to hurt you, I never wanted to hurt you, but I feel like I found the person I belong with; he's a wonderful guy, very kind and caring, you'd really like him. It would be perfect if it weren't for having to tell you this, for having to hurt you."

"I don't know what to say," Tommy replied, his voice shaky.

"I didn't just decide this," she said, her voice breaking into sobs. "But after a long time I decided that I had to follow my heart. I still care about you Tommy; I hope you can forgive me,"

There was a long pause.

Tommy sighed, "You don't need to apologize Kim," he said finally. There was another pause. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I need some time to myself, can I call you next week sometime?"

"Yeah," Kimberly said; her voice still unsteady. "I'd like that,"

"Okay," Tommy replied. "Bye,"

"Bye," she replied hanging up the phone. She put her arms down on the counter and buried her head, sobbing.

Captain Logan felt a wave of nausea wash over him as his perception was distorted. His vision went black for a moment and he felt himself toppling forward. Then as suddenly as it had begun it passed. His hands went out to the console, steadying himself. He rested for a moment getting his bearings once again.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"I'm working on it," Alex replied.

"Why are we still here?" Jen asked staring at her screen in a daze.

"Trip must have been able to repair the damage to the timeline," Alex said as he continued to work through his calculations.

"Then why isn't he back?" Jen asked rising from her chair, staring out the window toward the Temporal Gate.

Jen's console suddenly lit up.

"Incoming message, temporal state unknown," the computer said.

"Put it on the main screen," Logan ordered.

The forward window flickered as an image materialized over it, blotting out the view. At first the static was heavy and only the faint silhouette of a Ranger in red was perceivable.

"I think I got it," Trip's voice came from somewhere out of frame.

The picture cleared. The Quantum Ranger was standing in front of the monitor. Behind him, shining in the bright daylight, were several black mounds. To his left the remains of a wall were still visible, the armored surface shredded as if by claws.

"Greetings," the Quantum Ranger began. "My name is Tommy Oliver, behind me are the remains of Angel Grove, California in the year nineteen ninety-six,"

The Time Force Operatives exchanged a concerned glance. Suddenly several Sting Wings dropped into the background as Rangers in Red, Blue, and Pink rushed in cutting them down quickly.

"We can't stay here, Tommy!" the one in red shouted.

"As you can see, we have a problem," Tommy said.

"Oh my god, what is that!?!" someone shouted out of frame as Tommy turned to look.

"We are leaving!" the Red Ranger shouted. "Tommy!"

The Quantum Ranger glanced back at the screen for a moment as several Rangers moved through the frame before he started to race off in the same direction. The screen suddenly grew dark as a shadow moved over their location. Tommy froze for a second staring up at something; then in a flash something plowed through his location, the screen reverting to static.

"What was that?!" Logan demanded.

"Working on it," Jen replied as she tried to advance the image back several frames. "Playing it back frame by frame."

As the image slowly advanced they could see a cloud of dust wash over the Quantum Ranger before a dark object began to burst through the cloud, the last image on the screen was a pair of large metal jaws, like those on a heavy machine of the twentieth century.

"What should we do?" Jen asked.

"Contact the Director," Captain Logan replied staring at the frozen image on the display; the twin sets of bucket mounted teeth blurred as the dust wafted off the sides. "Tell him we have a problem."


End file.
